Blue Light Glasses, Real or Fake?: While the effectiveness of blue light glasses is hotly debated, they can significantly improve sleep

Laying under the covers, surrounded by darkness, I swiped mindlessly through endless Instagram reels of convertibles, vintage rolexes and remote beach destinations.

Five minutes later, I plugged in my phone and tried to fall asleep, but the overly bright screen burned into my brain, keeping my eyes wide open, pinned to the ceiling. The next morning, my insomnia took its toll when I could barely keep my eyes open while brushing my teeth.

After countless poor nights of sleep, I succumbed and purchased a pair of supposedly “life changing” blue light glasses from Amazon. The following evening, excitement washed over me as I unpacked a $10 pair of blue light glasses, but at the same time I was skeptical they would help my phone-induced sleeplessness.

According to McGill University,  common knowledge surrounding blue light began nine years after the first iPhone was created, when a fear that blue light causes premature aging spread throughout the media. 

However, a Cambridge study in 2021 proved that while blue light doesn’t affect your appearance — it affects your sleep. 

Blue light’s high frequency and high energy waves harms humans’ sleep cycles by decreasing melatonin levels. Which means that exposure from looking at a screen prior to going to bed makes it harder to fall asleep. 

Blue light glasses were created to eliminate blue light exposure from screens so that you can still binge your favorite shows without sacrificing a full night’s sleep.

After three nights of wearing blue light glasses and watching “Suits” in the darkness, I knew that even the lowest quality of blue light glasses made a difference. They determined whether I rolled from side to side for hours or fell asleep like someone had hit me over the back of the head.

While some may spend hours debating if blue light glasses are worth it, they work the exact way they’re advertised. My eyes felt absent of strain from squinting at a tiny screen and in the morning, my eyelids felt light, even after a night of binging action-packed corporate arguing.

The brightness that burned into my brain on nights without the glasses disappeared. Even when I went to close my eyes, I felt as though I’d gone straight to bed without catching Pearson Specter Litt’s latest case.

Although experts and consumers alike debate whether or not blue light glasses actually block blue light well enough to improve sleep, my experience has led me to believe that no matter what pair of blue light glasses you can find, wearing them before going to bed will allow for a good night’s sleep, even while binge watching your favorite shows under the covers.