According to a study in Scientific Reports, exposure to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) may induce negative changes during sleep.
Researchers at the University of Tsukuba recruited 10 male participants to a metabolic chamber with OLED, LED, or dim light for four hours before sleep.
As part of the study, researchers measured energy expenditure, body temperature, fat oxidation, and melatonin levels during sleep.
The study showed that blue light emitted from polychromatic white LEDs may result in negative physiological changes during sleep, affecting health.
“We investigated the effects of polychromatic white light using conventional light-emitting diodes (LED) and an alternative light source, organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), producing reduced spectral content in the short wavelength of blue light (455 nm),” the Nature article reads.
“Following exposure to OLED, fat oxidation positively correlated with the 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels, suggesting that the role of melatonin in lipolysis differs depending on the light,” the article states.
“These findings advance our knowledge regarding the role of light in energy metabolism during sleep and provide a potential alternative to mitigate the negative consequences of light exposure at night.”
