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@ Bill Cypher
2025-05-14 17:55:52
Huberman is a real expert on the human eye and spreader of the phone light is bad story that is passing around various health influencers.
I remember his original most detailed post about how the eye uses light to regulate sleep and a couple of very important points have gone missing in the game of telephone that is influencers passing the information around.
Detail 1. The eye and brain team is sort of taking a rolling multi day average of when you see the brightest light. Noon day outdoors on a sunny day is typically cited as 100k lux. My 65" TV just measured 250 lux at 1ft. So, the sun is a mere 400x brighter.
Detail 2. The eye doesn't use the same sensors to see as to set your circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm sensors are looking for the sun at noon and are positioned ideally for that, meaning that they respond much more to overhead light than light below your eyeline or directly in front of you.
Put those 2 together and rethink how to use light to improve your sleep. Even if you hold your phone above your head like some kind of weirdo, the noon day sun is 400x brighter and will win that battle. A baseball cap outside at noon is more of a threat to your sleep than the light from a phone before bed.
The original Huberman protocol reflected those facts. The plan was to get a few minutes sun exposure with no hat or glasses on first waking, noon, and around sunset. No real mention of screens.
Later he partnered with and started advertising for Roka who sells blue light filter glasses. Then the screen fear angle took over his comments on the matter. No way to sell you "go outside for 15 minutes a day" so the advertisers won over scientific accuracy.
I'm not saying screen time can't disrupt your sleep, only that the content matters far more than the light itself unless you are a cave troll who never sees the sun. Hardcore Henry is a great movie, but maybe not right before bed.
What do I do? I go outside without a hat and glasses around noon. Cloudy week in winter? I stand under a plant light I have that is 10x as bright as my TV for a bit. I use my phone whenever but try to be deliberate about what content as bedtime nears. Well known sitcom I've seen a dozen times is in. Arguing on nostr or action movies I've never seen before are out.
Maybe the influencers should partner with plant light companies instead of glasses companies and fix their science. Bonus, better seedlings with the better plant light. Can your blue light blockers do that?