Blue light emitted by devices like smartphones, computers, and televisions is becoming a major factor disrupting our sleep cycles. Research reveals that a significant number of Americans use electronic devices close to bedtime, contributing to poor sleep quality. Reducing exposure to blue light, particularly in the evening, is a simple yet effective way to help your body prepare for restful sleep.

What Is Blue Light?

How Does Blue Light Impact Circadian Rhythms?

Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that control essential bodily functions, including sleep. Light is the primary factor that aligns these rhythms with day and night. Historically, exposure to sunlight during the day helped set our body clocks, signaling when to be awake and when to sleep. However, the widespread use of artificial lighting and electronic devices has introduced more light exposure after dark, disrupting these natural cycles.

Blue light, in particular, has the strongest impact on circadian rhythms. During daylight hours, blue light helps us feel alert by stimulating the brain, raising body temperature, and increasing heart rate. But in the evening, exposure to blue light can confuse the body’s internal clock, suppressing melatonin—the hormone responsible for making us feel sleepy. As a result, our brains may remain in “daytime mode,” preventing us from winding down for the night.

Health Consequences Of Disrupted Sleep

Persistent disruption of circadian rhythms can lead to a range of health issues, including metabolic disorders, poor mental health, and increased risk for conditions like depression and anxiety. Furthermore, the inability to sleep well at night affects cognitive performance, mood, and overall well-being. Chronic exposure to blue light in the evening may significantly contribute to these negative health outcomes.

Devices That Emit Blue Light

Many common devices in our daily lives emit blue light, including:

- Smartphones and tablets

- Computer monitors and laptops

- Televisions and e-readers

- LED and fluorescent lighting

- Video game consoles

How To Minimize Blue Light Exposure

To reduce the effects of blue light on your sleep, here are some practical strategies:

1. Turn off screens before bed: Try to avoid using electronic devices at least two to three hours before bedtime. Reducing screen time helps prevent blue light from interfering with melatonin production.

2. Adjust your lighting: Dim your home’s lights or switch to warmer-toned lighting in the evening. You can also use lamps with red or orange light, which are less likely to impact your circadian rhythms.

3. Night mode settings: Many smartphones and computers have a "night mode" feature that reduces blue light emission. Make use of these features to limit exposure in the hours leading up to bedtime.

4. Blue light-blocking glasses: Special glasses designed to filter out blue light may be helpful for some individuals. These glasses can block or reduce the melatonin-suppressing effects of blue light.

5. Apps for blue light reduction: There are several smartphone and computer apps available that reduce blue light emission, allowing you to use your devices before bed without disturbing your sleep.

6. Create a sleep-friendly environment: If you can’t control light sources in your bedroom, consider using an eye mask to block out ambient light and promote better sleep.

Plastics are everywhere today. It is woven into our clothes, tucked into children's toys, used in food containers, and found in almost every household products. A new analysis has raised concerns about the chemicals used to make these products and the health hazards due to constant exposure.

According to an investigation reported by CNN, nearly 93% of known plastic chemicals used in everyday products were classified as posing a high risk to human health. The analysis looked at plastics used in food-contact materials, toys, clothing and textiles, household products, and hygiene and medical products.

The findings highlight how widespread exposure to hazardous chemicals can affect our health and how much remains unknown about their long-term effects.

Exposure To Plastic Chemicals

A researcher at Environmental Justice Foundation, Naima Fenderl’s Poison Plastics: How Chemicals in Everyday Plastics are Harming Your Health released recently and revealed astounding facts about plastic chemicals.

She said, “We looked at what these plastic chemicals can do to the body along with exposure levels to calculate overall health risk.” The analysis found that:

• Nearly 92% of chemicals in food-related plastics were considered high risk.
• Almost 89% of children's toys contained high-risk plastics.
• Around 93% of textiles and clothing involved dangerous chemicals.
• More than 92% of common household products contained high-risk chemicals.
• Nearly 93% of hygiene and medical plastics contained potentially dangerous chemicals.

The chemicals are not necessarily the plastic itself. Many are additives that are used to make plastics flexible, durable, heat-resistant, or less likely to catch fire.

Also read: Botox And Fillers: UK Watchdog Says Clinics Should Check Mental Health Before Injecting

Health Problems Caused By Plastic Chemicals

Some plastic chemicals have been linked to cancer, genetic changes and problems affecting the hormonal, reproductive and organ systems. Among the chemicals of concern are bisphenols, phthalates, and PFAS, which can be used in different plastic products.

Some of these chemicals can interfere with the body's endocrine system, which controls hormones involved in metabolism, reproduction, growth, and development.

The concern is important for children and during pregnancy because hormonal systems and organ development may be more vulnerable to certain chemical exposures.

The report also highlighted the challenge of lack of sufficient data to certainly assess health risks posed by these plastic chemicals. Almost 80% of the 3,552 chemicals in plastics people often use everyday lacked sufficient data to understand health risks.

“We simply do not have a clue what harm those chemicals might be causing us and our kids,” Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of the Global Observatory on Planetary Health and the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College told CNN.

He added, “We don’t even know the names or composition of a lot of the chemicals that are in consumer products — the chemical industry presumably has that information, but it’s not publicly available.”

Also read: World Environment Day 2025: Everyday Habits That Are Harming The Earth And Your Health

Microplastics Are Part Of The Problem Too

Chemical exposure is only one part of the plastic problem. Tiny plastic particles, known as microplastics, and even smaller nanoplastics, can also enter our bodies through food and water.

University of Columbia released an analysis of plastic bottled water based on a laser-based highly sensitive imaging technique. It found an average of around 240,000 plastic particles per litre, with most nanoplastics.

These particles can come from the bottle, the cap, manufacturing, and handling. Opening and closing the bottle repeatedly can also create friction between the cap and bottle neck, releasing tiny plastic fragments.

Larger particles are generally expected to pass through the digestive system. But nanoplastics are small enough to cross biological barriers.

Research has found that plastic particles can reach the circulatory system and other tissues, but scientists still do not know exactly which particles cross these barriers most easily, how much accumulates in the body or what level of exposure causes harm.

What Is The Solution?

Quitting using plastic entirely is not practical for most people. Instead, reducing avoidable exposure could be a sensible approach.

Avoid heating food in plastic containers, particularly when the container is not designed for high temperatures. Using glass or stainless steel for hot food and drinks can also reduce reliance on plastic food-contact materials.

Filtration or boiling of drinking water may help reduce some microplastics. But doctors believe that heat may only alter some plastic particles, not destroy them completely.

It's hard to find anyone these days whose day doesn't involve a phone, a laptop, or a tablet at some point, often for several hours. We work off them, study off them, unwind by scrolling or watching something on them. All that convenience comes at a cost, though, and it isn't limited to the eyes. Sleep, hearing, posture, general well-being- screens end up touching all of it.

Long Screen Hours Can Strain Your Eyes

Eye strain is usually the first thing people notice. Stare at a screen close-up for long stretches, and the eyes start to dry out, burn, blur, and headaches creep in along with trouble focusing. Part of the problem is that we simply blink less when we're absorbed in something on a screen, which makes the dryness worse.

A few small adjustments help, keeping the screen at a reasonable distance, not having the brightness too high, and something I often recommend to patients: the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look at something roughly 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It sounds minor, but it eases the strain.

Also read: Salt Stomping Before Bed: Does This Viral TikTok Sleep Hack Actually Work?

Long Hours With Earphones Can Affect Hearing

Screens affect more than eyesight. Long hours spent wearing earphones, particularly at high volumes, can gradually affect hearing. The risk depends on both the volume and the duration of exposure.

Keeping the volume at a comfortable level and taking regular breaks from earphones is a simple enough habit to build. Persistent ringing in the ears, muffled hearing or difficulty following conversations should not be dismissed as fatigue and should be evaluated by a doctor.

Screen Use Can Disrupt Sleep

Sleep is one of the most overlooked casualties of excessive screen use. Phones and laptops used late at night keep the brain stimulated when the body should be winding down for rest. Bright light from screens, along with constant notifications, social media and work-related activity, makes it harder to unwind and fall asleep. Poor sleep, in turn, contributes to daytime fatigue, reduced concentration and irritability.

None of this means giving up technology altogether. It comes down to building healthier digital habits, avoiding screens close to bedtime, keeping phones away from the bed, taking regular movement breaks during work, and spending some time outdoors. For people working at computers for extended periods, maintaining good posture and changing position regularly matters just as much.

Also read: Weekend Workouts: Why Sudden Intense Exercise May Put Stress on Your Heart

There Is No Single ‘Safe’ Number Of Screen Hours

Clinical care today increasingly looks beyond treating disease to identifying everyday lifestyle factors that contribute to long-term health problems, and screen exposure is a good example of this. There isn't a single number of hours that is automatically harmful for every adult; the impact depends on what the screen is being used for, the intensity and duration of exposure, and whether it is interfering with sleep, physical activity or daily functioning.

Being screen-smart, rather than screen-free, is really the aim. Regular breaks, sensible volume levels, better sleep routines and more movement can go a long way in protecting the eyes, hearing and overall health, while still letting technology remain a useful part of modern life.

If symptoms such as persistent eye discomfort, hearing changes, recurrent headaches or ongoing sleep difficulties continue despite cutting down on screen time, it's worth seeking professional medical advice rather than relying on lifestyle adjustments alone.

TikTok has a new sleep obsession every few months. Mouth taping, "cognitive shuffling," and now this: pouring salt onto a tray and stomping on it barefoot before bed. It's called "salt stomping," and doctors have doubts.

What Is Salt Stomping?

The trend was popularised by TikTok creator Tammy Weatherhead, who films herself pouring Epsom salt onto a baking sheet and shuffling her feet on it, according to the New York Post. "If you are not standing on salt before bed, you are missing out," she says in her videos. Other creators pour the salt onto baking sheets, towels or straight onto the shower floor, according to the New York Post.

The practice is framed as a type of "grounding," or direct contact with the earth, which some people normally do by walking barefoot on grass or sand, the New York Post notes. Weatherhead claims the salt version also exfoliates feet, reduces inflammation, and shifts the body into "rest mode" by lowering cortisol and raising serotonin.

Also Read: Heart Valve Clips Explained: How a Tiny Clip Can Help Repair a Leaking Valve

Does It Actually Work?

Doctors say no. Saema Tahir, a board-certified sleep physician, told the New York Post, "There's no evidence that standing on salt calms anything." IOL, a South African outlet, reported the same conclusion. There is currently no scientific evidence that standing directly on salt improves sleep.

There is some research on grounding in general, separate from salt. A small 2004 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that people who slept in contact with a grounding mat had lower night-time cortisol levels. But the study didn't test salt, involved a small group of people, and hasn't been repeated at a larger scale since.

What might actually help is the ritual itself, not the salt. Jacqueline Geer, a sleep medicine specialist at Yale School of Medicine, told Vogue, as reported by Yahoo, that the benefit "lies in the fact that this trend requires a certain level of focus and disconnect" from a busy day. A psychologist identified as Dr. Bostock told the Huffington Post UK there's likely a placebo effect too: "If you believe something helps you sleep, the odds are you will fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer."

The Real Risk: Your Skin

Standing barefoot on salt can cause harm. Chris Winter, a neurologist and sleep specialist, told Vogue, as reported by Yahoo, that salt stomping can cause skin irritation, worsen cracks on the feet, and create small cuts that let bacteria into the body.

What To Do Instead

Sleep experts point to simpler, low-risk habits: calming, repetitive routines before bed that signal to the nervous system it's time to rest, per IOL. Geer's advice, per Yahoo, is to build in a period of focus and disconnection from screens and stress, rather than a specific trick. If anxiety is what's keeping you up at night, that's worth raising with a doctor directly, rather than testing viral hacks with no real evidence behind them.