Exposure to blue light in LED devices like phones, tablets and televisions can be damaging

Most of us know that being in the presence of light at night disrupts the body’s natural circadian rhythms by suppressing the production of melatonin, a sleep hormone.

But melatonin does far more than help us get sleepy – it’s also an antioxidant that appears to play a pivotal role in slowing the progression of cancer and other diseases. Dr Richard Hansler of John Carroll University, Ohio, studied the effects of light at night on us.

"[It is the] blue component in ordinary white light that is suppressing the production of melatonin… If you don’t have enough, you may develop diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and even cancer," he says.Because it is so bright, blue light is used widely in pretty much all LED devices, including phones, tablets, laptops and TVs.

And because it is so hot, it appears to be wreaking all sorts of havoc on our eyes. Room light not only suppresses melatonin production, it could also impact sleep, thermoregulation, BPandglucose homeostasis.

A fewdevelopers of glasses that block blue light exist now. But it remains unclear whether our screens themselves will soon emit less blue light — since changing the amount of blue light will be like admitting that the screens are causing health problems, and lawsuits could ensue.

Courtesy: Gigaom newsletter