For the past several weeks, I’ve been donning a pair of funky, orange-tinted glasses while using my computer in the evening. This is far from a fashion statement, even if they do make me look like a hipster-wannabe.

Rather, I am wearing the glasses to prevent eyestrain and to help me sleep better at night.

Here’s how sleep works: during the day, the pineal gland in the brain is inactive. However, as the day grows darker and night falls, the pineal gland is activated.

It begins secreting the sleep-hormone melatonin into the blood. That’s what makes us begin to feel tired and want to head to bed. Computers, smartphones, and similar electronics, however, emit a blue light that disrupts this entire process.

When these electronics are used at night, they trick the brain into thinking it is daytime. Subsequently, melatonin production is slowed which makes it difficult to fall asleep.

Enter orange glasses.

Their orange tint helps protect the eyes by effectively blocking this blue light. [Read more…]