A good night’s sleep is essential for our well-being and overall health, but it’s often a luxury for working moms. After a full day of work and parenting, we end up going to bed later than we would like in an effort to finish the day’s chores or engage in some much-needed personal time. Unless we’re willing to let our chores go undone or wake up at the crack of dawn, that means we’re probably missing out on getting the hours we should.
A good night’s rest depends heavily on the number of hours we sleep, but also on the quality of those hours. Although staying up late to finish personal or household tasks might be the common reality for many working moms, there are some things we can do to maximize the quality of our sleep once we do finally get to bed. Minimizing our exposure to blue light is one example, with evidence showing that it can significantly impact how well we sleep at night.
Sleep quality versus quantity
While both quality and quantity are important parts of a good night’s sleep, they are considered different.
Sleep quantity refers to the number of hours of sleep we get at night. It’s obviously important to getting a good night’s rest, but for working moms, sometimes it just isn’t realistic to expect the recommended 7-9 hours a night.
Sleep quality is related to how “rested” a person feels after sleeping. According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep quality can be objectively described by the following:
- How long it takes to fall asleep (sleep latency)
- How many times you wake up during the night (awakenings)
- How long you are awake after first falling asleep (wake after sleep onset)
- How long you are actually asleep compared to how long you are laying in bed (sleep efficiency)
Better sleep quality is significantly associated with improved mental health, with some research even indicating that it may be more important than how many hours we spend sleeping. Where does blue light fit into this? Evidence suggests that blue light exposure too close to bedtime affects our sleep quality, including the time it takes to fall asleep, next day alertness, and the time spent in the REM phase of sleep.
Sources of blue light
Where does blue light come from? Apart from the sun (which is the biggest source of blue light), most artificial light sources emit it. That includes:
- LED lights
- Fluorescent lights
- Cell phones
- Computers
- Tablets
- Televisions
- E-readers
It’s not an overstatement to say that essentially all of our modern devices and technologies emit blue light. This is why it’s generally a good idea to limit use of our devices before bed to promote good sleep.
Effects of blue light on sleep quality
In the evenings I’m usually writing, watching a new episode of my favorite show, responding to messages and emails, mindlessly scrolling through reels, or planning my calendar for the week – all late at night on my phone under my bright overhead living-room lights. Every single one of those activities I can realistically only do after my son goes to bed, and every single one exposes me to blue light.
During the day, exposure to blue light is actually not a bad thing. It helps to improve cognitive functions like memory and attention while we’re working. But when we maintain that exposure into the late evening and night hours before bedtime, it can:
- Affect our ability to fall asleep
- Suppress melatonin, the hormone that regulates our circadian rhythms
- Cause us to wake up more during the night
- Reduce how much time we spend in deep sleep
- Reduce our overall sleep quality
Research suggests that blue light has the potential to interrupt both quantity and quality of sleep, both important factors in assessing sleep and restfulness. As far as the number of hours you’re getting at night, there’s not much you can do about that besides just going to bed earlier. For many of us, that’s just not realistic – at least not every night. We can, however, improve our sleep quality by limiting how much blue light we’re getting in the evening.
How to limit blue light at night for better sleep quality
We might not be able to completely cut out blue light, but there are ways to limit it as much as possible if we’re looking to improve our sleep and get a more restful night. Here are some ways you can do that.
1. Replace scrolling with self-care
If you have a habit of scrolling through social media to wind down after the kids are asleep, consider occasionally replacing it with a self-care activity that doesn’t involve screen time. No judgment – I’ll be the first to admit that I’m guilty of frequent late night scrolling myself. I know that it seems to be the one activity you can do to shut your overstimulated brain off for a while, but it’s also not helping you in the sleep department. Think of it as a rare opportunity to do something good for yourself, with the added benefit of getting a better night’s sleep. Here are some ideas for what you can do instead:
- Read a book
- Listen to a mindfulness meditation
- Practice mindfulness
- Do some reflective journaling
- Practice gratitude
- A breathing exercise
- Engage in some self-care
2. Use blue light blockers
If you can’t get around to ditching your devices at night (because honestly sometimes we just can’t), blue light blocking glasses or screens might be a good compromise. These gadgets prevent the blue light from our devices from reaching our eyes, which means they may have a role in minimizing the negative effects of blue light on our sleep.
3. Turn off the TV, tablet, and computer at least 30 minutes before bed
Sleep experts recommend powering down devices somewhere between 1-2 hours before bedtime. In my household, that is absolutely not happening… but 20-30 minutes is doable. By powering devices down, you’re signaling to your brain that the day is over and it’s time to relax. We naturally don’t just switch from alert to drowsy mode; we need a little buffer time. Give yourself as much time as you reasonably can without screens, tablets, or televisions to wind down and prepare for sleep.
4. Adjust the settings on your devices
Many phones and devices have a “night mode” or other display option that allows you to shift the colors on your screen to warmer shades that are a little easier on the eyes. Changing these settings won’t exactly eliminate all blue light exposure, but it will help to reduce it. By itself, this probably won’t do much for your sleep, but combining this with something else like blue light blocking glasses might be helpful.
5. Turn off LED lights and use lamps with warm lighting
LED light bulbs have become popular in many homes because of their energy-efficiency compared to other types of artificial light, but they do emit a fair amount of blue light (particularly the ones on the cooler color spectrum). If possible, minimize LED light exposure in the evenings and try using lamps with red or amber lighting as your nighttime light source.
Sleep quantity and quality are both important to our daily function and overall health and well-being. While going to bed earlier may not always be an option for working moms, we can have a positive impact on the quality of our sleep by limiting blue light as much as possible from our devices before bed. There are many ways to do this, and one method alone may not be sufficient. We might not be able to completely cut out all sources of blue light, but minimizing exposure is a good step towards maximizing the quality of our sleep.
