Does Blue Light Affect the Brain?

It seems that each cell of our bodies reacts to light in different ways. Scientists have been researching ways to take advantage of the body’s reactions to different types of light, including blue light.

According to German researcher Dieter Kun (link is in Spanish but you can use Google Translate on it), increasing the amount of blue light in our lighting could increase cognitive performance and learning ability.

It has us wondering if exposure to white light that includes more blue in it could help us keep our brains in tip-top condition. Dr. Michael Hamblin, widely regarded as the world’s foremost authority on light therapy, said in an interview with Dr. Joseph Mercola:

“Blue light is good in the morning. That’s quite clear that exposing yourself to blue bright light in the morning balances a lot of brain circuits.”

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Indeed, the time of day one is exposed to blue light is very important. Usually people try to avoid exposure to excessive blue light at night as it can disrupt circadian rhythm and contribute to insomnia. What’s fascinating is that not everyone reacts the same way to light. Age, genetics (such as PERIOD3 genotype) and even mental health status are known to impact one’s reaction to light.  

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And there is such thing as too much! Excessive exposure to blue light- especially when it comes from powerful LED lights that are extremely bright- is even suspected of harming vision over time.

So like many things in life, it’s possible that blue light exposure is necessary and beneficial, but only in the right quantities, at the right times.

What You Should Do Next

If you are ready to try blue light therapy for yourself, I would highly recommend heading to our shop and purchasing a RubyLux Blue light therapy bulb.