Episode 13: Blue Light and Sleep

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We examine a paper that finds sleep disruption from using tablet computers (as compared to reading a book in dim light). How much should we be worried about the effects of screens on a good night's sleep? There's good reason to believe that blue light is the main culprit -- recently discovered receptors in the eye that respond to blue light directly connect to brain areas implicated in sleep regulation. We lay out the case.... Papers: "Evening use of light-emitting eReaders.... (https://www.pnas.org/content/112/4/1232)" "Melanopsin: photoreceptors, physiology and potential (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468867318301081)"