Blue Light, Screen Time, and Sleep: How to maintain your child’s sleep quality in an increasingly digital world
Technology can be a great thing. But it can also wreck sleep. With a little intentionality, you don’t have to live under a rock to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm.
Light exposure guides the circadian rhythm by signaling to the brain that it’s time for either sleep or wakefulness. Without electricity or artificial light, our internal clocks would follow the sunrise and sunset. Our brains would receive consistent messaging regarding day and night and we’d probably all sleep more, and more soundly.
But this isn’t our reality–our lives are more and more digitized every day, and the lure of on demand cartoons and cute baby animals on TikTok is strong (the sleeping ducklings get me every time and it is HARD to say no to just one more short video…especially if it’s a duck or a kitten). So sleep suffers unless you are intentional about blue light exposure.
What is blue light and how does it affect sleep?
When it comes to sleep, not all colors of the light spectrum are created equal. White and blue lights are beneficial during the day, boosting attention, mood, and alertness. Sources include the sun, digital screens and electronic devices (LCD TVs, videos, smartphones, tablets, laptops and computer monitors, gaming devices, etc.), and fluorescent and LED lighting. Ever felt a surge of energy after opening the curtains to a bright sunny morning? Thank you for the natural energy burst, sunshine!
But exposure to blue light also slows the release of melatonin, a chemical which drives sleepiness at bedtime. Using backlit devices or hanging out in bright lights (especially LEDs and fluorescent bulbs) can be a big time sleep hijacker. If you use the electronic babysitter toward the end of the day (No judgment! I’ve been guilty of this more times that any Sleep Coach would care to admit. #parentingishard), your kiddo may experience trouble falling asleep, poorer sleep quality, and a disrupted circadian rhythm. Evening blue light exposure whacks out the internal biological clock. Seriously, ya’ll!
10 Tips to minimize blue light exposure in the evening, and make your kiddo sleepier and bedtime.
With a little intentionality, you don’t have to live under a rock to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm.
Here are our top tips to help you avoid the ill effects of evening blue light exposure:
Turn off all back lit devices and other sources of blue light at least one, ideally two hours before bedtime.
If your family relies on screens after dinner to keep the kids entertained for bit, try listening to podcasts or audiobooks instead.
Draw the curtains and dim the lights at least one hour before bedtime.
Replace LEDs with low wattage incandescent bulbs (ideally amber, gold, or red). Or purchase the LEDs that have been adapted to remove the blue lights - you’ll still want lower wattage in the evening.
If your kiddo requires a night light, use a red light bulb and keep it as dim as possible.
Use lamps instead of overhead lights for the evening routine. If taking a bath or shower is part of the nightly routine, use a lamp in the bathroom as well (make sure the lamp is no where near the bathtub and that your little one cannot reach the cord!).
If you stay in your bedroom with your child as they fall asleep, leave your phone out of the bedroom. I know — a lot of you are pretty mad at me right now for saying this. I hope you’ll forgive me! But the lure of social media and news updates is too powerful — and the ambient blue light exposure could negatively impact your child’s sleep. Side note: if you use the time for mindful breathing, stretching, meditation, prayer, or a gratitude practice instead, your mind and body will benefit from this break. Even just laying there and thinking about things that make smile would benefit both you and your child.
Keep lights and screens off until it’s time to start the day. If you throw an iPad at your kid to keep them in bed because they woke up at 5:00AM and you’re not ready to start your day yet, this will send the message to your child’s circadian rhythm that it should always wake at this time. Ugh. I wish it weren’t so.
If screens are a must in the evening, install night/dark mode on the devices and consider buying blue light blocking glasses for the whole family.
Set an alarm on your phone with a special wind down song – let your kiddo(s) help you choose it, so they feel empowered by this process. Side note: having a transition song can cut down on bedtime tantrums too! No abrupt stops to playing with legos.
Implementing the tips above will transform the entire house into a cozy cave for sleep, aid in melatonin production, and help everyone’s bodies prepare for sleep. You’ll all sleep more soundly, and wake up more refreshed.
Like these tips? Download our FREE stellar sleep e-books to get more helpful tips on establishing healthy sleep foundations and happy little sleepers.