Do screens really affect our sleep ?

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Blue light from screens has a very bad reputation. According to several studies published on the subject, it is particularly harmful for sleep. New research from the University of Basel and the Technical University of Munich, however, calls this view into question.

Concretely, light plays an important role in the sleep-wake rhythm, the researchers explain in a press release. Clearly, when it is composed of short wavelengths of 440 to 490 nanometers, we perceive it as blue.

Results difficult to interpret

In 2019, during an experiment carried out on mice, yellowish light had a stronger influence on the internal clock than blue light. To see more clearly, the researchers exposed 16 human volunteers to bluish and yellowish stimuli for an hour in the late evening, as well as to a white light stimulus.

“This method of light stimulation allows us to separate properties of light that may play a role in how light affects humans in a clean experimental way& ;#8221;, explained Manuel Spitschan, professor of chronobiology and health at the Technical University of Munich.

And the conclusion is surprising: “We found no evidence that variation in light color along a blue-yellow dimension plays a role relevant to the human internal clock or sleep”, underlines Christine Blume, researcher at the University of Basel

She adds:< em> “Our results instead support the findings of many other studies that light-sensitive ganglion cells are most important for the human internal clock”.

In the past, other research has reached this type of conclusion. An article published in the Journal of Sleep Research refers to an experiment carried out with 58 adults who were asked to report their use of screens.

They were also equipped with an electroencephalography (EEG) device to collect more detailed information on the quality of their sleep. According to the findings, their sleep quality was not affected by using screens before going to bed. In some cases, total sleep duration was even improved by using certain media before going to sleep (scrolling social media and sending messages).

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