{"id":427,"date":"2021-01-25T22:57:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T22:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/?p=427"},"modified":"2025-06-24T12:18:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T19:18:37","slug":"feeling-blue-light-from-poor-sleep-to-pigmentation-what-screen-time-is-actually-doing-to-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/feeling-blue-light-from-poor-sleep-to-pigmentation-what-screen-time-is-actually-doing-to-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeling blue light: From poor sleep to pigmentation, what screen time is *actually* doing to you"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nonstop digital connectivity means that most of us are exposed to more blue light than ever before in human history. Is this a problem? Consider this: Spending four eight-hour workdays in front of a computer exposes you to the same amount of energy as 20 minutes in the mid-day sun.<\/em><\/p>Dr. Howard Murad, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Murad Skincare<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With the new world order of working from home, screen-hopping from your small screen to your mid-sized screen to your big screen all day may mean that many of us are basking in blue light\u2014a part of the spectrum of high-energy, visible light that radiates from the sun and, to a lesser degree, electronic devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile the majority of blue light exposure is still from the sun, it is important to know these other sources of blue light exposure,\u201d says Dr. Marisa Garshick, a board-certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Cornell. \u201cAs we learn more about the impact of blue light on the skin, we are learning that blue light can contribute to signs of aging such as hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the increasing prevalence of blue light in daily life, research around the effects of blue light on skin is always evolving. Dr. Indermeet Kohli, a research scientist at Henry Ford Health System\u2014which spearheaded one of the original studies on blue light and skin<\/a> in 2010\u2014 says redness and pigmentation are among the concerns his team have found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dr. Kohli, about two-and-a-half to three hours of continuous sun exposure will result in redness and pigmentation, but as far as electronic devices are concerned, the jury is still out: \u201cIt will take much, much longer,\u201d Dr. Kohli says, \u201cand may not even happen depending on the differences in the intensity and composition of the light output of these devices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studies have also shown that too much exposure to blue light can impact sleep and circadian rhythms, since our bodies use blue light from the sun to regulate our natural wake cycles by boosting alertness and elevating moods. \u201cThis is why we shouldn\u2019t sleep with our cell phone near our bed,\u201d Dr. Murad says. \u201cEven small bursts of blue light can disrupt the sleep cycle. Over time, this can have cumulative negative effects on our body\u2019s rest, restore and repair functions, which, over time, accelerate the effects of aging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there is a flip side to blue light. During the day, it helps us feel awake and energized, and can even help lift moods. Dermatologists also use targeted blue light emissions as part of photodynamic therapies (PDT) to kill cancerous and precancerous cells. Because blue light is intrinsically antimicrobial, it is also commonly used to treat acne, psoriasis, eczema and other skin inflammations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen patients have gotten PDT, they\u2019re treating superficial skin cancers, but you also see this nice evening tone of their skin,\u201d says Dr. Sarika Snell, a Georgetown-educated, board-certified dermatologist. \u201cIt shows that in certain wavelengths of blue light, we\u2019re actually seeing a benefit in the skin tone and texture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since giving up devices is not realistic for most, what can we do to combat blue light\u2019s potential negative effects? For starters, wear sunscreen (yes, even indoors), particularly mineral sunscreens containing iron oxide<\/a>. \u201cAlthough physical blocker sunscreens such as zinc or titanium-based sunscreens can help block some visible light, look for products that include specific protection against blue light,\u201d Dr. Garshick says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Dr. Garshick and Dr. Snell suggest that blue light-blocking screen protectors for devices can be helpful. They recommend antioxidants such as vitamins C<\/a> and B3, or niacinamide<\/a> to protect against free radical damage, as well. \u201cThere are also plant extracts, such as microalgae, that have been shown to help with some of the effects we see,\u201d says Dr. Snell. \u201cIt\u2019s hot topic, there\u2019s so much material and advice on the Internet. Some of it is true, some of it is not. It\u2019s good to see a board-certified dermatologist to get your questions answered.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nonstop digital connectivity means that most of us are exposed to more blue light than ever before in human history. Is this a problem? Consider this: Spending four eight-hour workdays in front of a computer exposes you to the same amount of energy as 20 minutes in the mid-day sun. Dr. Howard Murad, board-certified dermatologist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-skin"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1750792719:21"],"_thumbnail_id":["428"],"_edit_last":["21"],"primary_category":["5"],"_primary_category":["field_608c33bdd26d5"],"show_featured_image":["1"],"_show_featured_image":["field_609ee1cf1ce13"],"post_views_count":["6021"],"adobe_analytics_repeatable":["a:1:{i:0;a:2:{s:4:\"name\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"value\";s:0:\"\";}}"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["30"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["3"],"mobile_image":[""],"_mobile_image":["field_60bf7692abe28"],"_post_views_count":["field_6107dfafd6a27"],"sidebar_products_use_global_default":["0"],"_sidebar_products_use_global_default":["field_63a349a11086a"],"sidebar_products_title":["Related Products"],"_sidebar_products_title":["field_6408d62123449"],"sidebar_products_items":[""],"_sidebar_products_items":["field_63a349a110878"],"sidebar_products":[""],"_sidebar_products":["field_63a349a0dadad"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["5"],"_yoast_wpseo_title":["Blue light's effect on skin & sleep | Murad Skincare"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["How blue light affects your skin and sleep. Screen time impacts on health and pigmentation. Protect your skin from digital damage."]},"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":{"primary_category":{"term_id":5,"name":"Skin","slug":"skin","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":238,"filter":"raw"},"show_featured_image":true,"post_views_count":"6021","mobile_image":false,"sidebar_products":{"use_global_default":false,"title":"Related Products","items":""}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13493,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427\/revisions\/13493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}