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Speaker 0 asks: Should we stop wearing sunglasses? Speaker 1 responds: Yes. Except we should be wearing them indoors and at night, not outdoors during the day. When you wear sunglasses outdoors, they block the UV, and that's kind of what most people wear them for. Things are bright. Well, reason things are too bright for most people is because they don't get out at dawn to see the sunrise. And if they did, their eyes would adjust to the sun and they wouldn't need sunglasses. We've been told forever from optometrists and doctors that UV is bad for the eyes. And in fact, our eyes have receptors to read the ultraviolet light. And when we cover them with sunglasses, we cannot read how much UV is in the sun, and so we get sunburned. Speaker 0 asks: So you are an expert in all things circadian rhythm and light diet. So what time are you waking up, and what time are you going to bed? Speaker 1 answers: So this eight hours of sleep a night, I think is bull. I wake up with the sun. I actually need to sleep less in the summer and more in the winter, and that's how we're biologically designed. We are a light poisoned population. The light that we're exposed to is highly intense in the blue color of light. There's no infrared, almost zero red light, very little yellow, and a ton of blue light. Blue light in itself is not bad, but blue light becomes toxic when we're exposed to too much of it. It messes with our circadian rhythm. It is actually associated with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity if we see it after sunset, and macular degeneration during the day because we have so much of it hitting our eyes causing free radicals.

The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. The World Health Organization considers night shift work, where you lose sleep, a possible carcinogen. Every spring when we lose an hour of sleep, there's a 24% increase in heart attacks. Every fall, when we gain an hour of sleep, heart attacks decrease by 21%. Sleep is connected to our health in a massive way, and you need seven to eight hours of sleep. Turn your phones off hours before bed. Use blue light glasses if you have to. Get away from the screens and chill down. Maybe read before bed, but don't get stimulated.

Looking at your phone first thing in the morning is common but can negatively affect hunger, energy, and hormones. The brain is in relaxation mode and not ready for information overload from texts and emails. This can throw off your circadian rhythm, raise cortisol, and trigger stress and anxiety. Chronically elevated cortisol can lead to depression, type two diabetes, weight gain, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Instead, get natural light exposure, journal, or see your affirmations.

Speaker 0: Wanna do a little video showing the difference between an incandescent bulb and an LED bulb so you guys can see the difference. Incandescent is very natural, very healing, great for reading. These are like putting an LED streetlight in your home. That is a light emitting diode. It's creating the light color, and it's very, very high in radio frequencies and messes with the mind because of the flicker rate. First, these little cute end incandescent bulbs, none of that. Very simple, very safe. If you don't have access to these bulbs, you can also do things with candlelight. You can look into fire light fire meditations. But LEDs, I would say not putting any of this stuff in your house because it messes with the mind, with the melatonin levels, and doesn't allow you to sleep. This is why people are suffering from so many sleeping issues is because these bulbs.

Early morning sunlight is important because the natural blue light is received by the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain. The suprachiasmatic nucleus is the primary circadian pacemaker, signaling to the body that it's daytime and time to be awake. To receive the benefits, get at least fifteen to thirty minutes of sunlight exposure in the morning, such as during a walk or commute, without staring directly at the sun. This morning exposure can improve sleep at night.

Artificial blue light from screens tricks the body into thinking it's daytime, disrupting sleep patterns. When it gets darker, the body produces melatonin, a sleep hormone. Artificial light blocks melatonin production, preventing the body from sending signals to cells to release it. Therefore, avoid screens like TVs, smartphones, and computers before bed.

Melatonin, produced by the pineal gland, is the body's natural sleep aid. As darkness increases, melatonin levels rise, signaling the body to prepare for sleep. Blue light from digital devices can suppress melatonin production by tricking the brain into thinking it's daytime. Switching off screens an hour or two before bed may improve sleep. A good night's sleep is a cornerstone of health, so respect melatonin.

Most of us would never let a 100 people walk into our bedroom first thing in the morning, but we are letting a 100 people into the bedroom of our mind through our phone every time when we wake up in the morning. So what's happening is your brain is just trying to wake up and all of a sudden you are bombarding it with negativity, noise and notifications. What's happening? Your brain's having to quickly wake up, It's like trying to take a car from zero to 60 miles per hour in a couple of seconds. That's literally what you're trying to do to your brain. So now what you've done, you've exhausted your brain already by putting the foot on the pedal.

When the body's stress response is imbalanced, the pineal gland produces melatonin, which pulses strongly in the afternoon and evening to prepare for sleep and lower cortisol levels. Healthy circadian rhythms and cortisol-melatonin cycles are essential for feeling calm and sleepy at night. However, high cortisol levels in the afternoon or evening can lead to feeling tired and wired, making it difficult to sleep. One might fall asleep from exhaustion but then wake up between 1 and 4 AM. This can occur when someone is constantly busy and working until bedtime, leaving the body in a stressed state with elevated cortisol levels.

One hundred percent of mental health issues, there will be some level of circadian disruption. There's a clock in my head. The suprachiasmatic nucleus. Is master clock. And this clock regulates every cell in my body. And it controls the release of a chemical, which makes those cells, organs, every part of my body do stuff. So it is your hypothalamus, so the suprachiasmatic nucleus, it responds to light, and it responds to darkness. So that's like the most pronounced entrainment cue for this master clock. And it then tells, it sends signals to every cell tissue in your body as to what it needs to be doing in the presence of light, in the presence of darkness. And when we are viewing light at a phase of the natural light dark cycle, that is if I am awake when I should be sleeping, or I am sleeping when I should be awake when my body anticipates that, it causes huge amounts of stress in the system. If we do this once or twice, not a big deal. But if we're doing this chronically, Okay, it has massive health consequences.

Exposure to screen type light between the hours of 11PM and 4AM activates a specific circuit in a brain area called the habenula that lowers dopamine and creates a sense of disappointment. So it's pro depressive. That's straight from the discussion that followed: “from 11PM to 4AM, if you're on your phone, if you're looking at a TV or iPad or screen consistently, it's going to make you more depressed.” It was noted that “in theory, yes,” but in practice you would have to do that pretty consistently. The conversation also clarified that it’s the brightness of light, not the color of the light, that matters. Measures to mitigate include dimming it way, way down, or wearing glasses or using biohacking stuff. The claim was reiterated: “the studies by multiple groups are showing that from 11PM to 4AM, if you're on your phone… it’s going to make you more depressed.” The response added that there isn’t just one exposure; rather, “it's not like one exposure,” and “it's going to dim dopamine” or “blunt dopamine.”

Balanced cortisol levels, high in the morning and low at night, along with stable blood sugar, are crucial for healthy sleep. Imbalances in cortisol disrupt the pineal gland's melatonin production, causing strong pulses in the afternoon and evening, hindering the body's ability to calm down and sleep. When cortisol remains high in the afternoon or evening, individuals may experience feeling tired but unable to sleep, or they might fall asleep from exhaustion only to wake up between 1 and 4 AM. This mid-night awakening often occurs when individuals engage in high-activity levels before bed, leaving the body in a stressed state with elevated cortisol.

Speaker 0 highlights Michael Gradazar's argument: it's not the blue light. It's that these devices are attention capture devices, and they are designed to ruthlessly fleece you of your attention economy. My goodness are they good at doing it because they've spent hundreds of millions of dollars developing that technology. And as a consequence, you become so cerebrally activated that it masks your state of sleepiness. The passage frames this as a critique of how digital interfaces leverage attention through substantial financial investment, leading to heightened neural activation and fatigue masking. Gradazar's assertion emphasizes attention capture over screen light as the primary mechanism.

Insomnia is a pandemic, and there is always a reason behind it. The pineal gland in the brain releases four hormones during sleep: serotonin, melatonin, arginine vasotocin, and epithalamine. These hormones affect mood, healing, pain relief, and learning capacity. The release of these hormones is influenced by the circadian rhythm, which is regulated by light and dark signals. Exercise during the day helps eliminate waste from the natural pain killer, arginine vasotocin. Getting enough sleep and following the laws of health, such as sunshine exposure, can improve sleep quality. It is important to avoid getting frustrated when unable to sleep and instead practice gratitude. Avoiding distractions like the "chat room" and finding calming thoughts can also aid in falling asleep.

Insomnia is a common problem, even for non-cancer patients. Melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep, is disrupted by electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by electronic devices. The pineal gland, which produces melatonin, is sensitive to light, and EMFs can mimic the effects of light, shutting down melatonin production and disrupting sleep patterns. Low melatonin levels are associated with increased cancer risk, particularly hormone-dependent cancers. Insomnia is widespread, leading to a high demand for sleeping pills. Some newer drugs aim to stimulate melatonin production, but taking melatonin supplements or avoiding EMFs at night can be more effective. Sleep experts recommend keeping electronic devices out of the bedroom to promote better sleep.

Checking your phone before bed negatively affects sleep, but not primarily due to blue light. While blue light suppresses melatonin, a study showed that even with blue-blocking glasses, phone use still impaired sleep. The key issue is the stimulating activities performed on the phone. Work and social media engage the brain, making it harder to fall asleep. Therefore, it's best to avoid these activities close to bedtime to improve sleep habits.

Let's talk about the bad effects of light. Nowadays because of screens and artificial light, we have access to light at times of day and night that normally we wouldn't. The longer you've been awake, the more sensitive your retina and these cells are to light. You want as much light as is safely possible early in the day, morning and throughout the day, including blue light. So take those blue blockers off during the day unless you have a real issue with screen light sensitivity and you want as little light coming into your eyes artificial or sunlight after say 8PM. And certainly you do not want to get bright light exposure to your eyes between 11PM and 4AM.

Mark Baker, founder and president of the Soft Lights Foundation, and Clayton (Speaker 0) discuss the health and societal concerns around LED lighting. Baker argues that LED lights are devastating to health due to their blue-rich spectra, prevalence in night environments, and the resulting impact on sleep, mood, circadian biology, and overall well-being. He describes personal experiences that motivated his activism, including a mental breakdown linked to LED exposure and a subsequent shift to full-time advocacy. Baker explains that LEDs are now ubiquitous: LED headlights in cars, blue-rich LED streetlights, general-service LED lamps in homes, and intense LED indicators on appliances. He notes that emergency vehicles with flashing LEDs are also problematic for some people. He acknowledges that the issue feels overwhelming to many, including bureaucrats, which adds to the difficulty of solving it. The conversation delves into Baker’s backstory. In the mid-2010s, as high-powered LED lights proliferated, he noticed blue-rich headlights and 5,000 Kelvin streetlights that disrupted his psychological wellbeing. Living in California, he experienced intense lighting at night from apartment windows and, after attempting to contest changes with city officials, suffered a severe mental breakdown when his school district refused to turn off the LEDs. This led to hospitalization and redirected his career toward advocacy, studying physics, government regulation, and organizing with others suffering similarly. Baker emphasizes that many people experience LED-induced sensitivities: migraines, epileptic seizures, sleep disruption, and even suicidal thoughts for some. He notes that individuals with astigmatism report driving difficulties due to LED headlights. He characterizes the public as having diverse responses: some people are highly sensitive to LEDs, others notice little to no effect. He frames the community as “canaries in a coal mine” for broader environmental and health impacts. The discussion covers the science of light. The body has photoreceptors beyond the eyes, including in skin and tissues, with blue wavelengths around 450 nanometers linked to circadian regulation. He asserts that artificial light at night interferes with melatonin suppression and cellular repair processes, thereby increasing health risks. He argues that the spectral distribution of many LEDs, with a prominent spike in blue light and no infrared, contrasts with incandescent light, which has a warmer, red-yellow spectrum and includes infrared. He maintains that LEDs are further from natural light than incandescent sources and that this spectral shift affects mood, sleep, and health. On policy and regulation, Baker critiques the 2005 Energy Policy Act, which directed the Department of Energy to pursue solid-state lighting and set a minimum luminous efficacy of 45 lumens per watt. He contends that the DOE did not coordinate with the FDA to ensure safety standards, so LEDs entered markets without assessing flicker, color temperature, or overall quality. He suggests this failure contributed to a mismatch between efficiency goals and health outcomes. He calls for reintroducing safe, healthy lighting and undoing “the effective ban on incandescence,” arguing that incandescents were healthier and that the current LED emphasis ignores health impacts. Baker discusses practical implications for sleep and daily life. He recommends reducing exposure to night-time LED lighting, using warmer color temperatures (around 2,700 Kelvin or lower), and installing measures to limit blue light in bedrooms. He notes that even skin exposure to light and non-visual photoreceptors can affect sleep. He mentions that some LEDs are being redesigned to imitate incandescent light, including “natural light” LEDs with broader spectral distributions and devices that incorporate infrared light to soften nighttime exposure. He also highlights the challenge of modern fixtures that integrate LEDs into fixtures rather than as replaceable bulbs, complicating the shift away from blue-rich lighting. The Soft Lights Foundation provides resources at softlights.org, including a campaign to ban blinding car headlights and an LED incident report for the FDA. Baker mentions a Change.org petition with tens of thousands of signatures, a database of incident reports to push regulatory action, and a resources section with scientific articles. He encourages joining the Ban Blinding LEDs Facebook group and engaging with regulatory and legal efforts (e.g., lawsuits) to address LED-related health concerns. In closing, Baker argues the system resists change, driven by arrogance, incompetence, negligence, and financial incentives, but denies a conspiratorial killing intent. He invites listeners to learn more, sign petitions, and consider environmental and health impacts when choosing lighting options.

Sleep is linked to the core body temperature cycle, and controlling body temperature can control sleep. Core body temperature rises throughout the evening, peaking before dropping. This drop signals the brain to release melatonin. Later in the night, the body temperature increases again, leading to lighter sleep stages and eventually waking.

Heat slows down melatonin production at night. A cooling temperature and environment will help keep your brain and melatonin flowing.

Mark Baker, founder and president of the Soft Lights Foundation, argues that LED lights are devastating to health and leverages his personal experiences to advocate for change. The interview explores how blue-rich LED lighting has become ubiquitous, including car headlights, streetlights, household general service lamps, and indicators on appliances, as well as assorted night-time sources like smoke detectors and alarm indicators. Baker describes his awakening to the issue in the mid-2010s. While teaching in California, he noticed blue-rich LED headlights and 5,000 Kelvin LED streetlights that disrupted his psychological well-being. An apartment on the second floor was flooded with intense light, leading to a mental breakdown when his school district refused to switch off the lights. This event redirected him from teaching to full-time advocacy, involving him in learning the physics of light, government regulation, and connections with others suffering from LED exposure around the world. He recounts that many people initially resist confronting LED issues because the problem feels overwhelming. He notes the pervasiveness of LED lighting—car headlights, streetlights, household lamps, and even emergency vehicle lights—and emphasizes that bureaucrats often feel overwhelmed, which can impede action. He describes a community of people who report a range of sensitivities and health effects linked to LED exposure, including migraines, epileptic seizures, and, in some cases, suicidal ideation, as well as driving difficulties for people with astigmatism. He frames the community as “canaries in a coal mine,” highlighting that different people have different sensitivities and that some may be unaware of how LED lighting affects their sleep or mood. The discussion highlights that LED lights emit a spike at blue wavelengths, particularly around 450 nanometers, which is tied to regulating circadian rhythms and wakefulness. Baker argues that artificial light at night interferes with melatonin suppression and cellular repair processes, thereby disrupting sleep and health. He asserts that the natural night environment should be preserved as much as possible and that LEDs, with their spectral distribution and lack of infrared, diverge significantly from natural light. On how LEDs work, Baker explains that LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, a solid-state lighting technology that emits photons through an electronic process, not combustion. He highlights issues such as flicker due to drivers, directional light emission, and the spectral power distribution across wavelengths. He notes that the Department of Energy acknowledged the directional nature of LED light and, at one point, eliminated infrared light as waste heat; later, scientists recognized the benefits of infrared light for certain applications. He contends that the shift from incandescent to LED lighting was pursued for energy savings but without proper standards for safety, flicker, or quality, and without adequate evaluation by the FDA, which the law required to collaborate with the DOE. Baker traces the policy trajectory: the 2005 Energy Policy Act directed DOE to evaluate solid-state lighting, and by 2007 the minimum luminous efficacy standard (45 lumens per watt) effectively phased out incandescent bulbs. He argues that the DOE did not ensure safety or quality standards, focusing only on efficiency. This, he claims, led to widespread adoption of LEDs without comprehensive health safeguards and without FDA oversight. Regarding sleep and nighttime exposure, Baker cites evidence that even tiny indicators and devices in bedrooms—smoke detectors, nightlights, routers, and other LED indicators—can interfere with sleep and circadian rhythms. He notes that skin exposure to light also influences physiological processes, expanding the scope beyond ocular effects. He stresses the potential health risks associated with long-term exposure, including cancer, diabetes, and mood disorders. Regarding solutions, Baker argues for reintroducing incandescent technology and reducing reliance on LED-heavy lighting, while pushing for FDA evaluation and regulation of LED products. He mentions practical adjustments, such as choosing lower color temperatures (around 2700 Kelvin or lower), avoiding flicker, and using alternative bulbs for fixtures where possible. He describes programs and campaigns by the Soft Lights Foundation, including a petition against blinding car headlights and a system for LED incident reporting to the FDA. He points to resources on softlights.org, a campaign to stop blue-rich LED headlights, and a Facebook group called Ban Blinding LEDs for community support. For actionable guidance, Baker encourages individuals to minimize night-time LED exposure in their environments, shield streetlights when possible, switch to warmer lighting, and seek regulatory change to allow safer lighting options, including incandescent or incandescent-inspired LEDs with infrared components. He invites people to learn more through Soft Lights Foundation resources and to participate in advocacy and reporting efforts.