Summary
Ben Greenfield covers are blue light-blocking glasses really a scam?! (& what to look for in a healthy lightbulb) with matt maruca. Key topics include performance optimization strategies backed by science; practical biohacking tools and technologies for health optimization; key longevity markers and interventions to optimize healthspan.
Key Points
- Performance optimization strategies backed by science
- Practical biohacking tools and technologies for health optimization
- Key longevity markers and interventions to optimize healthspan
Key Moments
Matt Maruca on how blue light disrupts hormones
Ben Greenfield and Matt Maruca of Ra Optics discuss how artificial blue light disrupts circadian rhythm and hormonal balance.
"Blue Light Blockers, Blue Light, Circadian Rhythmicity, Melatonin, Matt Maruka from Raw Optics. All the show notes are at BenGreenfieldLife.com/slash blue light truth. Let's go. Dude, how many times have you been on the podcast? I believe this is the second time."
Good blue light peaks at 480nm for circadian cues
Blue light at 460-500nm signals wakefulness and cortisol production, but becomes harmful at night by suppressing melatonin.
"So the good blue light is really good in the morning and throughout daytime. It's really not so good, for example, in the evening because then it's tricking the brain to continue to produce cortisol and not produce melatonin. So I think it's really important for people to understand that the blue And back to the glasses, which you were asking about before in reference to the movie, for the daylight lenses we have, they are designed to block effectively 100% of the bad blue light, as are the sunset lenses, the more red-orange lenses you mentioned earlier. But the difference is that the daylight lenses reduce the melanopic light, so the part of the light that affects melanopsin, in other words, our So you're going to get a reduction if you're working in an office all day under a bright LED, which is blue-enriched light, which is over-stimulating to the hormonal system because it has an unbalanced spectrum compared to the solar spectrum. It's kind of like simulating noontime sun all day long."
Blue light blocking glasses are not debunked
Greenfield and Maruca analyze a viral documentary claiming blue light glasses are a scam, finding its evidence insufficient.
"So, in the case of this study, we would say that there's not necessarily enough evidence. It's not statistically significant enough to debunk, quote unquote, the effects of blue light blocking glasses just because some people didn't report significant increases in sleepiness. However, what they fully ignored is that the study did show preservation of melatonin, which, and so in dis In disregarding the other part of the significant finding of the study, which is that blue blockers preserve melatonin, they basically threw out all of the other benefits that have been shown of melatonin, which is, for example, cancer prevention."
Blue light exposure goes beyond just screens
Most blue light studies only measure screen exposure but ignore overhead lighting, airports, and malls, which are major sources.
"And I think somebody who sees that documentary should just try for themselves, right? Just like wear a pair of blue eye blocking glasses with the red lens the next time you're watching a movie at night and you tell me if you get sleepy halfway through the movie. Yeah, I mean, I. Whether or not you want to. I think this is a great approach because, you know, I'm not sitting here telling everybody that they have to wear blue light blocking glasses or that, you know, they're going to die if they don't or something like this. Yeah. You are going to starve if people don't wear them."
Related Research
The influence of blue light on sleep, performance and wellbeing in young adults: A systematic review.
Evening blue light exposure from screens consistently disrupts sleep onset and melatonin production in young adults, though blue-blocking interventions show promising but mixed results on sleep quality and daytime performance.
Evening wear of blue-blocking glasses for sleep and mood disorders: a systematic review.
Systematic review of 29 studies found substantial evidence that blue-blocking glasses reduce sleep onset latency in patients with sleep disorders, jet lag, or shift work, with preliminary evidence for benefit in acute mania.
A review of the current state of research on artificial blue light safety as it applies to digital devices.
Current evidence does not support claims that blue light from digital devices causes retinal damage at normal exposure levels, though circadian disruption from evening screen use remains a well-supported concern.
Blocking nocturnal blue light for insomnia: A randomized controlled trial
Wearing amber-tinted blue-blocking glasses for 2 hours before bed improved sleep quality, duration, and insomnia symptoms in adults with insomnia, compared to clear placebo lenses.
Systematic review of light exposure impact on human circadian rhythm.
Systematic review of 15 high-quality studies confirmed that 2-hour evening blue light exposure (460 nm) suppresses melatonin, with maximum suppression at 424 nm, providing the mechanistic basis for blue-blocking glasses.
Amber lenses to block blue light and improve sleep: a randomized trial
Wearing amber-tinted glasses that block blue light for 3 hours before bed significantly improved sleep quality and mood compared to yellow-tinted control glasses.
Efficacy of blue-light blocking glasses on actigraphic sleep outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled crossover trials.
Blue-light-blocking glasses did not significantly improve objectively measured sleep outcomes (total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, or wake after sleep onset) compared to clear lenses in randomized crossover trials using actigraphy.
Blue-light filtering spectacle lenses for visual performance, sleep, and macular health in adults.
Cochrane review of 17 RCTs found blue-light filtering lenses probably have little or no effect on visual acuity or eye strain, with inconsistent and inconclusive evidence for sleep improvement.
