Are You Using Your Mobile Before Sleeping

It’s bedtime routine for so many of us: Hop into the nightwear, switch off the lights, into the cozy bed and… reach for the cell phone. 

We’re all guilty of it. We spend all day feeding our brain information, so when it comes time to turn it off, we should do the same thing to our phones too. Numerous studies have found that using your phone before bed is harmful to your overall health, so let's break it down and see why.

Your smartphone - together with tablets, laptops, and television screens; emit blue light, thus the exposure can have a drastic change on your skin. Take a glance at everything you would like to understand about blue light.

What Is Blue Light?

Blue light, a part of the spectrum of actinic radiation, could be a high-energy, short-wavelength light (not to be confused with UVA or UVB rays). It’s one among several colors within the light spectrum. The others are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.

How Does Blue Light Affect Skin Health?

Adding UVA and UVB protection to your daily routine isn't any longer effective for preventing premature aging, say experts. In line with evolving research, the blue light emitted from the sun and digital devices are additionally bad for our skin.

The blue light emitted from screens can also disrupt our biological clocks. Compared to UV light, blue light penetrates far deeper into the skin. It passes through the epidermis and dermis to reach the subcutis layer.

One has to take an internal and outdoor approach as long as both sunlight and our digital devices emit blue light. Before you tweak your skincare regime, cover your phones and computers with a blue light shield.

Pigmentation Effects Of Blue Light

Pigmentation can also be caused by too much blue light. Those with darker skin were found to show increased swelling, redness, and pigment changes when exposed to blue light.

It can induce both immediate and persistent pigmentation, which can still be present after three months. Furthermore, these rays disrupt sleep patterns and cause a disruption in the circadian rhythm as they inhibit melatonin production, increase stress hormone levels, and excite nerves. 30 hours of exposure to blue light from smartphone or laptop screens can increase the inflammation level in skin cells by 40%.

How Blue Light Contributes To Aging?

The blue light emitting from electronic devices leads to a drastic change in our skin cells, including death and shrinkage of skin cells. Thus they incline to hurry up the aging process. Even a minimum exposure for about an hour also can trigger these changes.

Some smartphones have a setting that disables blue light in favor, often called 'night mode', which makes it easier on your eyes and your skin. If your phone has this feature, use it all the time as an excellent anti-aging and eye-saving method.

Best Blue Light Skin-Protecting Ingredients

Products with optics minimize actinic radiation to stop skin tan. for instance, BB cream is scientifically proven to reduce the consequences of blue light by 80%.

-Zinc oxide; acts as a barrier to protect the skin. 

-Vitamin C; helps in protecting and recovering skin cells from oxidative damage caused by blue light.

-Vitamin B6; combats visible-light-induced antioxidant depletion and effectively suppresses oxidative stress caused by light.

-Niacinamide; as a result of its ability to repair skin surfaces, provides strong protection against skin damage caused by blue light.

How Blue Light Affects The Eyes?

But beyond an aesthetic level, blue light may be harming our eyesight. There's significant evidence that blue light from digital devices can damage our eyes when exposed unprotected. Our eyes are glued to our screens (right now, in fact), and research shows it may result in the degeneration of our sight. Thus it is advised to take frequent breaks from computers and phones and go for anti-reflective glasses.

So What’s The Solution?

Here are two super tips – try it and tell us how it works.

• STOP USING ELECTRONIC DEVICES 30 MINUTES BEFORE BED: The National Sleep Foundation recommends that you should stop using electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime. So, grab the book that’s been tucked away in your nightstand and start reading before bed. You’ll be surprised how quickly you fall asleep and how much better you’ll feel the next day.

• USE A BLUE LIGHT PROTECTION SUNSCREEN: Just covering your phone with a blue light shield might protect your skin to some extent only, but if you're searching for full protection from blue light then use a blue light protection sunscreen. A sunscreen that provides blue light protection will protect your skin from the harmful effects of the rays and will effectively prevent premature aging.

Do write to us if you have any more questions and we will be happy to help!