Your screen time may cause you cancer
A recent study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found an increase in breast and prostate cancer for those with higher exposure to artificial light at night. Specifically, light on the blue spectrum. The good news is the same effect wasn’t found for the red or green light.
Why does blue light increase cancer risk?
Blue light emitted from LED lights, tablets, computers, and cellphone screens interfere with melatonin production. Melatonin is the hormone that tells our bodies when to go to sleep through our biological clock. Changes to our biological clock are thought to contribute to cancer. Another reason melatonin is so important is that it’s a powerful antioxidant! Antioxidants contribute to keeping cancer at bay!
Here are 4 ways to combat blue light:
- Download a program like f.lux. It will disable blue light on your screen in the evening which mimics the natural rhythm of daylight.
- iPhones now come with a program called Night Shift. Enable this on your device and your screen will turn down the blue light at night.
- Wear glasses with a yellow hue to block blue light.
- Shut off technology in the evenings 2 hours before bedtime. This allows melatonin to rise naturally.
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