TOXIC LIGHTING triggering an epidemic of fatigue

Overexposure to artificial blue light is draining 100% of women, asserts Steven Gundry, M.D., author of The Energy Paradox. “For millennia, we lived in sync with sunlight, which contains a variety of light wavelengths that range from blue to red,” he notes. “But today, phones, TVs, computers and LED bulbs emit massive amounts of blue light that our eyes and nervous systems aren’t designed to handle, so our circadian rhythms become disrupted.” Plus, blue light interferes with the sleep hormone melatonin, says sleep specialist Michael Breus, Ph.D. “When blue light hits melanopsin cells in the eye, they send a signal to the pineal gland that produces melatonin, telling it to turn off the melatonin faucet.” The result: sleep troubles and fatigue.

Women are at higher risk since we’re more likely to multitask with devices. And research shows just six hours of artificial blue light (less than half of what we get daily) causes a drop in energy-generating mitochondria in cells. The good news? The steps below reduce exposure to restore energy.

Block out the blues. Dr. Gundry advises downloading apps that lower blue light emissions like f.lux and Twilight. On iPhones, use Night Shift mode. And Dr. Breus advises wearing amber-tinted glasses that filter out blue light 2 hours before bed—a strategy shown to increase sleep by 52% within a week in one study. A brand he developed: Luminere Blue Light Blocking Glasses, Amazon.com.

Walk outside at 10 AM or 3 PM, says Dr. Gundry. “Red light wavelengths in sunlight are strongest then, and red light helps reset the circadian clock and stimulates mitochondria to make energy.” Can’t go out? Consider investing in a device that emits red light (like Joovv; at Joovv.com).