Blue light can actually help older adults sleep but only if theyre exposed at the right time of day

Blue light often gets a bad rap, probably because most of what we know about it is that it wreaks havoc on our sleep. But new research suggests that exposure to blue light can actually help older folks snooze better.The catch? Timing is everything. A new study in the journal GeroScience found that exposing older adults to blue light during the day can help them fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly at night. Researchers tested different lighting conditions on participants 50 to 81 years old for 11 weeks, analyzing their sleep quality and brain activity.Those exposed to higher levels of blue light during the day showed noticeable improvements in how quickly they dozed off and how long they spent in a state of deep, restorative rest. The benefits were only applicable when participants were exposed to blue light for a couple of hours in the morning — whereas blue light exposure in the evening led to more restlessness in bed and poor overall sleep quality. Adult sleep patterns naturally change with age, often resulting in less deep sleep and more frequent nighttime awakenings.“As we get older, our circadian rhythm shifts in what’s called a ‘phase advance,’ meaning we naturally feel sleepy earlier,” Dr.

Dylan Petkus, a sleep specialist and founder of Optimal Circadian Health in Florida, previously told The Post. “It’s not just preference, your body’s clock is changing.”Some of the most frustrating aspects of age-related sleep changes are due to reduced mobility, which means getting less sunlight — a crucial component of good sleep — as well as spending more time in front of artificial light at night. Those are habits that you can control — and this study indicates that getting most of your blue light activity out of the way in the morning, soaking up some sunlight during the day and staying away from screens at night might be the key to success. “Our research shows that carefully timed light intervention can be a powerful tool for...