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Teenagers should wear sunglasses to bed to block out sleep-disturbing blue light from phones, computers and tablets, a study suggests.

Blue light from screens can delay the release of sleep-inducing melatonin which interferes with the natural body clock. Previous research has shown that adolescents who use a computer in the hour before bedtime are three times more likely to get less than five hours sleep, which can be hugely disruptive to mood and schoolwork.

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As well as symptoms of tiredness and poor concentration, lack of sleep can also increase the risk of more serious long-term health issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

A study by researchers in the Netherlands found that wearing glasses that filter out the blue light has virtually the same impact on sleep as turning off devices entirely.

Teenagers who used screens before bed needed an extra 30 minutes to get to sleep compared with those who did not, yet the blue light filters helped offset the problem within just a week.