Blue Light and Sleep Health

Speaker 1 0:01

Blue light does not affect your ability to go to sleep . There , I actually said it , but before you get excited and jump into bed , lie there scrolling your phone . There's a really big plot twist to this and in today's episode I'm going to talk all about that . Shift work can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be . Welcome to a healthy shift . My name is Roger Sutherland , certified nutritionist , veteran law enforcement officer and 24-7 shift worker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shift workers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rigours of shift work , but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show and welcome back to A Healthy Shift .

Speaker 1 1:03

This is the podcast that is all about helping shift workers not just survive but thrive in your 24-7 world . I'm your host , roger Sutherland . I'm a veteran shift worker and nutritionist , and I am your go-to guide for evidence-based strategies to improve your health and wellbeing in your shift working life . Now , today I'm tackling a topic that's been oversimplified , and that is blue light and its impact on your sleep and health . Now you've probably heard everywhere that blue light exposure before bed can stop you falling asleep , but the truth is a lot more nuanced than this , because I can tell you research , science , scientists , even the leaders in this circadian field , will tell you that blue light doesn't directly impact how quickly you fall asleep , as in on your sleep what we call sleep latency . Now , instead , the real problem lies in how it interferes with the production of melatonin , which is a hormone that's often misunderstood as being our sleep hormone . So in this episode today , I really want to go through , because I want people to really understand and clear up the myths about melatonin and explaining how blue light actually affects it and exploring why this matters so much for your long-term health , not only as a shift worker , but to anybody in health full stop .

Speaker 1 2:37

So melatonin is more than a sleep hormone . So let's just start by redefining melatonin to you Now . It is always called the sleep hormone , but that is an oversimplification . Melatonin's primary role is not to knock you out like a sleeping pill . Instead , it is a messenger . It is a hormone that signals to your body that it's dark outside . Remember , your body can't see . It gets signals through the eye that tells it that it's light or it's dark , and the pineal gland responds a certain way and let's talk about it . So let's think of it this way , because melatonin is your body's internal notification system for darkness . When the sun sets , your environment gets darker and your brain , specifically the pineal gland , starts to produce melatonin , which is a hormone . Now this is your body's way of saying hey , it's time to shift gears now and prepare for rest and repair . It's putting us into that rest mode Now .

Speaker 1 3:49

Melatonin , often called the free radical chaser , is a powerful antioxidant which is naturally produced by the pineal gland , primarily during nighttime . Beyond its well-known role in regulating our sleep-wake cycle , melatonin is a potent scavenger of free radicals , protecting cells from the oxidative stress and reducing inflammation . And ever wondered why shift workers are so full of disease and inflamed ? Ever wondered why shift workers are so full of disease and inflamed ? Melatonin , its unique ability to cross cell membranes and even the blood-brain barrier , makes it effective in defending against cellular damage . What do we call cellular damage ? Cancer cells , supporting brain health and potentially slowing the age process . Now , this antioxidant powerhouse is especially beneficial for shift workers because our irregular schedules disrupts the natural melatonin production and it leaves us much more vulnerable to this oxidative stress . So , in essence , melatonin is part of your body's nighttime maintenance crew . So when we go to sleep in the dark , melatonin secretes and it just is our maintenance crew . It's like the road crew that comes out at night and repairs damage and prepares your body for the next day .

Speaker 1 5:25

Now let's talk about the blue light , because blue light , and especially from artificial sources , like those screens , hello phone , and also the LED lighting , this energy efficient lighting that's been installed in your homes , are full of blue light . Those globes by your bed are full of blue light . This suppresses melatonin production and this means that even if your body wants to wind down for the night , the presence of that blue light tricks your brain into thinking it's still daytime . Now here's where things get really , really interesting , because blue light doesn't necessarily stop you from falling asleep , because studies have shown that if you're tired enough , you will literally just drift off anyway , even if you've been staring at your phone . It's shown that blue light only really inhibits sleep latency by approximately seven minutes . And this is where scientists say that blue light does not prevent you from falling asleep . It's very , very conflicted , but that is not statistically significant

Protecting Melatonin for Shift Workers

Speaker 1 6:37

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Speaker 1 6:37

If I said to you , you can get into bed and play with your phone or play on your phone for an hour because it's only going to impact you falling asleep by seven minutes . You'd probably take that all day , every day , but it's a lot more complicated than that , and this is where it's really , really important . The real danger lies beneath the surface . If your melatonin production is delayed or it is diminished by blue light exposure , you will lose the full benefits of this hormone . You're not just affecting your sleep , but you are literally robbing your body of its antioxidant defense system during the critical repair window at night . What you're doing is you're stalling the workers from going out and repairing your body , running around , getting rid of those free radicals in your system and oxidative stress . This is why it's so important that we don't have those phones through our naked eye , because it's just not good for us . And you've only got to look across at your partner in the darkness with the light on their face and you can see just how bright it is as you're looking directly into it .

Speaker 1 7:51

Now , melatonin and health beyond our sleep . And why does this matter ? Because melatonin's benefits go far beyond sleep . It's involved in regulating inflammation , because melatonin helps to keep your immune system in check . It reduces unnecessary inflammation that also leads to chronic diseases . It protects us against that oxidative stress , as we've spoken about . It neutralizes free radicals hello , cancer cells and melatonin lowers your risk of cellular damage and diseases like cancer , cardiovascular issues and neurodegenerative conditions . It's protecting our brain . Remember , it crosses the blood-brain barrier and it goes in and it helps to protect the brain . It supports our metabolic health because melatonin influences processes like insulin sensitivity , which is crucial for preventing type 2 diabetes and obesity , two issues that our shift-working community are particularly prone to .

Speaker 1 8:54

Now , for our shift-working community who've already faced disrupted circadian rhythms and a higher risk of chronic conditions , suppressing melatonin through blue light exposure really does create a massive and very , very dangerous domino effect , and while we are addicted to our phones these days and we think we can lie in bed and we can look at them because I can still fall asleep , I need it to relax this is the impact that you are actually having and this is why I want to flag this with you while you're going to sleep , the workers are not repairing your body and there's nothing there to combat those free radicals , and this is why , in the shift working community today , we have so many problems with cancers and cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes and obesity . It's the light that's doing it . Now , as a shift worker , your schedule often forces you to sleep during the day and to be awake at night . Now , you are already fighting an uphill battle with your circadian rhythm . When blue light suppresses melatonin , it adds another layer of disruption , compromising your body's ability to repair itself and protect itself against disease . All of these hormones are there for the right reason . They are all doing a job , because , even if you manage to fall asleep after staring at your phone or working under bright lights , your body might not be producing enough melatonin to handle its other critical functions , and over time , this will lead to increased inflammation , it will lead to accelerated aging , higher risks of metabolic disorders and you will have a compromised immunity .

Speaker 1 10:39

Are you one of those shift workers that always seems to have a sniffle or cold and you can't seem to shake it or get over it ? Hello , melatonin . Now what can you do to protect your melatonin ? It's important that we understand this . So what can you do to protect this really , really misunderstood hormone and reap the full benefits of its production ? And here are some practical and evidence-based strategies .

Speaker 1 11:06

I highly , highly recommend that you invest in blue light blocking glasses and not just get on Amazon or get on eBay and just grab a pair of blue light blocking glasses . You've got to look for the high quality blue light blocking glasses that are blocking all blue light and you wear these during the evening hours or especially if you're working late shifts or you are using screens Once it's gone dark . That's the time you use blue light blocking glasses . If you want to be a nurse and walk around the hospital with blue light blocking glasses , just do it , because your employer is not actually looking after you with the light and that's been perfectly blunt Paramedics working in the back of ambulance trucks and walking into ED departments . That's not looking after the employers . We need to wear blue light blocking glasses and if anyone thinks you look funky with them on , so be it . It's your health .

Speaker 1 12:07

Those night modes on your phones they don't work . Research shows that , even though they go oh , we've got night mode on the phone they don't work . All right , that night shift mode , or black and white or whatever , there's still blue light in it and too much . And four inches from your eye while you're looking at it . Yeah , it's still no good . We need to create a dim environment . We need to switch to those warm dim lights after sunset . Or get those blue light blocking globes that you can actually put in and replace your LED lights in the roof with , or zero blue light globes that you can have in your lights by your bed or you can put them anywhere . We've got this portable zero blue LED light that we use in our ensuite , so when you get up it automatically senses that you're there and turns on . It's got zero blue light in it . The body doesn't even know that it's awake . Very handy for when you're traveling and you find yourself in those places where you're not 100% sure which way it is to the bathroom or where you left your suitcase . Really handy , and it's also just a really handy light to have at home .

Speaker 1 13:23

Now the other thing that you can do and I highly recommend that shift workers actually supplement with melatonin Low-dose melatonin supplements . And when I say low-dose , don't go and try and find 10 milligrams and go , oh , I've got 10 milligrams and take two and think , oh , this is going to be better , because it doesn't work that way . That's not what melatonin is . You only really need between one and three milligrams of melatonin , absolute maximum . In fact , I recommend that people start with half a milligram . The reason being is because melatonin is literally just your body's notifier that it's dark , while it runs all of those other operations of free radicals , et cetera . It's not a sleeping tablet and the more you take doesn't make it , the more you'll sleep . It just doesn't work that way . So what we need to do is we just need to knock ourselves out , and that exogenous melatonin that we take is also a free radical combatant . So I would highly recommend , particularly females , to take a low dose melatonin daily , and you can do that because it doesn't inhibit or cause a problem to your natural melatonin production .

Speaker 1 14:34

If you are doing the right thing by actually blocking that light at night and getting the blue light during the day . And we need to unplug these goddamn phones and everything else at night before bed . We need to aim to disconnect from these screens after dark . Now I don't want to ruin your party . And no TV , no light , no , nothing . That's optimal , remember , I'm telling you what is optimal .

Speaker 1 15:00

Some people are super sensitive to light and by sitting there watching TV at night and then climbing into bed , they might go to sleep because they're exhausted , but they don't get that proper restorative sleep and they're certainly not getting the melatonin production which is going to cause them problems down the track . So what we need to do is we need to look at calming activities like reading or a meditation , or even just a light stretch before we go to bed . So let's just have a look at the bigger picture , and that's melatonin in your health . So here's the bottom line . Melatonin , as you have just learned , is more than a sleep hormone . It is literally your body's natural defense against the damage which is caused by modern life and , as a shift worker , you are already dealing with challenges to your circadian rhythm . So by minimizing blue light exposure and protecting melatonin production , you can give your body the absolute best chance to rest , repair and thrive as a shift worker . Melatonin how important is that ? And that's it for today .

Speaker 1 16:08

I hope you enjoyed this episode , where I helped you to see that melatonin in a whole new light , and the pun is actually intended . If you found this information in any way valuable , can you do me a favor ? Could you please , once this episode finishes , just open your phone and just scroll down and just give it five stars and take a minute or so just to write a review , so that other people like you can literally find this podcast and also don't forget , share it on your own story so that people can learn the same as you , because the more people that know evidence-based strategies and understand more around the science of what can help you with shift work , the better you will actually be . As you go Now I will . In the show notes for this episode , I will put a link to my recommended product page and I highly recommend that you go to that and you have a look , because I've got the quality blue light blocking glasses there . There's a manta sleep mask . There there's swanic blue light blockers . There's block blue light blocking light , so you can have a look at those lights . You can also have a look at the globes and you can have a look at that sensor light . Everything's on the page that will help you .

Speaker 1 17:24

And I ask you also and I've said this a number of times on podcasts please be extremely careful just buying any melatonin over the counter , because melatonin the efficacy of melatonin is absolutely appalling . It is not regulated at all and if you're trying to grab the 10 milligrams of melatonin from iHerb and getting it shipped in and showing your mates that you've got 10 milligram , you're a fool , because it may be half . It may be 15 milligrams . Whatever it is , one pill might do one thing and another one might do another . There is absolutely no quality control on those , so the best way to do this is to have a chat with your general practitioner or your physician and tell them that you would like to get melatonin and let them write a script so that you're getting a pharmaceutical and tested quality of melatonin .

Speaker 1 18:12

All right , remember , if you're looking for a comprehensive guide to thriving in shift work , then I may actually have something coming that will help you . All right , so we will talk about that in 2025 , because it's a really , really exciting time that is actually coming for a healthy shift . We're making connections , we're putting things together . We're here to help you , and I want to make sure that you , the shift worker , are thriving and not just surviving , in your shift working life , and understanding things like this will help you no end . Thanks for listening . Thank you for listening . If you enjoyed this episode , be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released . It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on If you want to know more about me or work with me . You can go to ahealthyshiftcom . I'll catch you on the next one .