All it took was a few low-quality LED bulbs to rob Sara of her sleep.
Until recently, Sara used cheap LED bulbs in her home to save electricity. LED bulbs consume nearly 85% less energy than conventional bulbs — but the mistake Sara did was to go for those low-quality LED bulbs you find everywhere.
That proved to be her undoing. Cheap LED light bulbs are as bad for sleep as sticky foods are for new dentures.
“I couldn’t get enough sleep at night, sometimes not more than a few winks, and chronic lack deprivation was fast turning me into a cranky, depressed person,” Sara says.
Luckily, a friend came to Sara’s rescue and told her cheap LEDs emit blue light, which can cause sleep problems galore.
Blue light: An anathema to sleep
Blue light wavelengths improve attention and reaction times, according to Harvard Medical School. These two are desirable attributes in the daytime, when you need to be attentive and watchful — but they can pose a problem at night.
Melatonin — the sleep hormone – doesn’t see eye to eye with blue light. If you’re exposed to it before your bedtime, sleep can prove elusive.
Research shows blue light suppresses melatonin production more than any other type of light. Low levels of melatonin, in turn, causes sleep deprivation.
Here are two studies that prove blue light wavelengths are awfully bad for a good night’s sleep:
- In a study done by the University of Toronto, the researchers noted that the participants wearing glasses that blocked out the blue light had higher melatonin levels than those who didn’t.
- Other studies prove blue wavelengths repress sleep-inducing delta brainwaves and enhance alpha wavelengths, which promote alertness.
High-quality LED light bulbs are good for sleep
The cheap LED light bulbs — like those Sara used — are only CRI80 and below. Plainly speaking, they produce blue light which can keep you from falling asleep.
On the other hand, high-quality LED light bulbs are CRI90+. Being of high CRI, they don’t emit sleep-busting blue light.
To her credit, Sara listened to her friend’s advice and replaced low-quality LEDs in her home with high-quality LED light bulbs.
“Since the changeover, I’m sleeping 7-8 hours a night and is now back to being the chirpy, energetic, and fun person I used to be,” Sara Says.
Don’t want to go through the ordeal Sara went?
Then chuck away the low-quality LED light bulbs. They may save you a few dollars, but as Sara found, they can open a Pandora ’s box of problems.
Invest in high-quality LED bulbs instead. Most of our LED filament bulbs are CRI90+ since we value your health.