Been getting back into a simple blue LED light, hoping to get some added improvement to mood and cognition.
The alerting response to blue light is effective in reducing sleepiness and enhancing cognitive performance, and specifically in tasks associated with concentration and cognition and "blue light treatment consistently outperformed caffeine in all tasks" in one study [1].
Evidence suggests that circadian disruption alters the function of brain regions involved in emotion and mood regulation - bright blue-enriched morning light stabilises circadian phase, and it could be an effective counterstrategy for poor lighting during the day and also light exposure at the wrong time, such as in the late evening [2].
Sleep and circadian rhythms are among the most powerful but least understood contributors to cognitive performance and brain health. Circadian regulation permeates most systems believed to control mood, including limbic brain regions, monoamine neurotransmitters and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Acute exposure to light within the blue wavelengths has been shown to enhance alertness [3] and vigilance [4], and lead to improved speed on reaction time tasks, possibly due to activation of the noradrenergic system. The dopaminergic rhythm is also responsive to light.
Exposure to blue light has been shown to increase activity in the hippocampus, amygdala and the locus coeruleus, which are associated with memory formation for the former and wakefulness/alertness for the latter.
Brief exposure to bright light in the morning hours can improve subjective measures of mood and alertness [5]
Blue-enriched LED light seems to be a simple yet effective potential countermeasure for morning drowsiness [6]. Exposure to blue-enriched light can enhance vigilance performance and early morning light therapy in the condition of sleep loss may have broad practical applications to improve sleepiness and sustained attention
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