Flashing Blue Light Special

OK, we need to enter the Wayback machine - there is some internet version out there today but I am referring to the original version from the late 1950s to the early 60s, in Peabody's Improbable History. In the series Mr. Peabody and Sherman would enter the Wayback Machine to visit various points in the past. Here they go:

We are headed back to the 1960s, 70s and 80s when K-Mart was a major retail player with thousands of stores scattered across the country. It still has stores in the Virgin Islands and Guam, but the last mainland store closed last year. But I digress.

The point is that K-Mart had a marketing shtick where they would move this mobile cart with a tall pole around the store. On the top of the pole was a - you guessed it, a flashing blue light. The storewide PA system would blare out "Attention K-Mart shoppers! We have a flashing blue light special going on in sporting goods! A ping-pong paddle set will be available for the next half hour for only $3.95!" Or some other marketing push. In this instance a flashing blue light was a good thing. It looked like this:

But alas, blue light has fallen out of favor. To quote a brief Google search:

"Blue light, while a natural part of sunlight, is also emitted by digital screens and can negatively impact eye health and sleep patterns. Excessive exposure, especially in the evening, can disrupt the body's natural sleep-wake cycle, leading to difficulty falling asleep and reduced sleep quality. It can also contribute to digital eye strain, characterized by symptoms like eye fatigue, dryness, blurred vision, and headaches." 

 

A study at UC Davis piles on with this:

"Exposure to blue light before bedtime also can disrupt sleep patterns as it affects when our bodies create melatonin. Interruption of the circadian system plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, sleep disorders, and cognitive dysfunctions."

While these proclamations are still a cut above a pharmaceutical ad I saw the other day that snuck "death" into the quick, voice over (more like voice under) of possible side effects that are  tacked on to such ads. However, these "blue light bashing rants" are still rather off-putting revelations especially among those of you who may share our household affliction: insomnia. If we both are asleep before 2:00 AM and remain asleep til the rosy-fingered dawn touches the sky - the story makes the local news.

Sleep is like Shangri-La or Brigadoon for me. When I experience it, it is wonderful, peaceful, caring, comforting. It surrounds me. But come the night when I actively seek its comfort, it recedes into the mist - lost, mysterious, illusive. Banished, in part it seems, by the blue light leeching from our various screens, household lamps, and the life-affirming sun itself.

But, fear not, according to that blue light emitting small screen, there is an answer: blue light blocking goggles, glasses, whatever! Just slip them on and the evil glare of blue light is banished! So I drank the kool-aid and bought these babies:

And I wore them for maybe a week, at night, when reading, watching Curiosity Stream, etc. When doing anything on a screen I did it bathed the orange glow of those weird googles. And after the week I was able to discern absolutely no impact on my sleep. And I really wanted to.

So, a couple of strange things about me and world of Morpheus - the Greek god of dreams, not the creepy guy from The Matrix. First, my issue with sleep does not extend to naps. Anytime between say 2 and 4 in the afternoon, I can lay down and go to sleep - often drenched in the blue light of my iPad while reading a mystery. Hmm. But come the night and it is an entirely different story.

We try to turn off the big screen by 10. And begin our varying "go to sleep" rituals. I don't do "sleep aids." Bad experience during my second dance with multiple myeloma - I think with gabapentin. So "take a pill" is not an option. So, I read novels or browse through science magazines and videos - carefully avoiding the bizarre world of the news. But all on my little blue screen. Hence, my chagrin at the failure of the heralded orange goggles.

I have come to the conclusion that my issue with insomnia is in my head, not in something blue that leaks in through my eyes. I can't call it "a sleep phobia" because I love sleep. Maybe it has to do with blunting the obligatory nature of "bedtime." You are "supposed" to go to sleep at bedtime, right?  A cultural norm neither of my daughters seemed to grasp while growing up. Hmm. Maybe genetic?

Anyhow, I have decided to try to "adjust" my attitude to bedtime. I read somewhere that you are not supposed to go to sleep,  rather you are supposed to fall asleep. So I'm going to try to not care about going to sleep at night. I mean, I already see the tiny numbers, 1, 2, 3:00 AM. So why worry about going to sleep sooner? Rather, I'm going to try to focus on interacting with gentle content once the sky gets dark. Prepping to fall asleep. Cozy mysteries, or novels I have read before, liked and already know the ending. Or watching videos like "Making a Stradivarius," or "Peacocks and Octopuses: The Secret of Natural Color." No stress. Only quiet screen comfort food. Video mashed potatoes and gravy.

I'll let you know how it works out.

(Hmmm. Last night went rather well. But a rather limited sample to test this hypothesis)