As an amateur astronomer, I've done a lot of research about light pollution. That led me to research about how light affects sleep. Here's the summed-up version so you don't need to read all those scientific papers I have:



- Blue light is great for being awake - that's why you wake up with a blue sky (read about melanopsin and melatonin on Wikipedia)

- Blue light is not good for sleep; in the 470 nanometers range, that suppresses melatonin (a key hormone for sleeping well)

- Humans (and other animals) evolved to sleep in the dark - or, at the darkest, full Moonlight (just 0.1-0.3 lux of light)

- Longer wavelengths of light were the only source of light at night for most of human history (fire / candles)

- Tablets / phones / screens / LED's and many CFL bulbs have strong blue wavelengths that are messing with our circadian rhythms and suppressing melatonin, because they have wavelengths shorter than 530nm - 540nm



So what to do in our modern world? Wear these glasses before bed. Natural melatonin production would have occurred with our ancestors starting with the onset of sunset. Wavelengths of light from the setting sun would have shifted to red, and fire or candles were usually the only form of light available. Those are both relatively dim, and in longer wavelengths.



Today, our "connected" world has a LOT of blue light. It's messing with our sleep patterns, because our bodies evolved to only see red/orange/yellow light at night, NOT blue light/shorter wavelenghts.



THESE GLASSES BLOCK THOSE MELATONIN SUPPRESSING WAVELENGTHS.



Put them on a couple hours before bed. For me, I start getting drowsy about 90 minutes after wearing them. The trick is DO NOT take them off without closing your eyes or being in a dark room (a room with ONLY a dim red light would work too, as your melanopsin won't trigger melatonin suppression with red light). So when changing for bed, close your eyes when removing your shirt if you have to pull it off over your head or put your night time clothing on.



Then leave these on until you turn out the light for sleep. And be sure to sleep in the dark too, or wear a sleep mask. Small amounts of light can still affect your melatonin (well, anything brighter then full Moonlight - yes, even a blue LED on your computer). You can watch TV with these on, check your phone, read your tablet, work on your laptop - just note that colors will look weird. Blue looks black. Yellow looks white. Greens look weird. And the glasses aren't exactly stylish.



But if you sleep better, who cares? They work.



And while you're at it, make sure your home's lights (and business if you own one) aren't shining into other people's homes or apartments. Too much light at night is what makes these things necessary in the first place. We don't need all this light at night; these glasses are just a band aid to help; what we really need is smarter outdoor lighting - aimed down, at the ground, at the proper color(s) so we aren't suppressing others melatonin. According to a Harvard study, the U.S. loses $63 BILLION dollars per year due to American's insomnia. Artificial light at night messing up people's sleep is undoubtedly part of that - let's fix that so these glasses aren't as necessary.



Oh, and did these glasses work for me? An emphatic YES, they did. 5 nights (so far) of excellent sleep and well-rested mornings. And I am NOT a morning person! They work - just use them the right way, and be sure you're not doing other things that might hurt sleep (too much caffeine, lack of / too much exercise right before bed, sleep apnea, etc.) So if it's not a medical condition, do the right things, wear these, and get better sleep.