Could Blue Light Help Fight Fatigue? Study

According to researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), they've found that exposure to short wavelength, or blue light, during the day can improve alertness and overall performance.

"Our previous research has shown that blue light is able to improve alertness during the night, but our new data demonstrates that these effects also extend to daytime light exposure," said Shadab Rahman, PhD, a researcher in BWH's Division of Sleep Medicine and lead author of this study, via a press release. "These findings demonstrate that prolonged blue light exposure during the day has an an alerting effect."

For the study, researchers measured wavelengths of light that were most effective in warding off fatigue via the development of specialized light equipment. They compared the effects of blue light exposure to an equal amount of green light on alertness and performance in 16 study participants for 6.5 hours over a day. Then the participants were rated based on how they felt through reaction times that measured electrodes to assess changes going on in the brain due to light exposure.

Results showed that participants exposed to blue light consistently rated themselves as less sleepy with quicker reaction times and fewer attention relapses. They also showed changes in brain activity patterns that indicated a more alert state.

"These results contribute to our understanding of how light impacts the brain and open up a new range of possibilities for using light to improve human alertness, productivity and safety," explained Steven Lockley, PhD, neuroscientist at BWH and senior investigator of the study, via the release. "While helping to improve alertness in night workers has obvious safety benefits, day shift workers may also benefit from better quality lighting that would not only help them see better but also make them more alert."

For future research, their next big challenge is to determine how to deliver better lighting in many places such as schools, homes and work places that could, in turn, provide a more productive and alert atmosphere.

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Sleep.