How to NeuroHack with Different Colored Glasses

 Color-tinted lenses have long been used for more than just style. Different colors impact our brains and physiology in distinct ways, offering targeted benefits depending on the lens color. Let’s explore how green, blue, red, and yellow lenses affect the brain and body, and what benefits each provides.

Colored Lenses Affect the Brain

Each color operates on different wavelengths of light, and the brain processes these wavelengths differently. Color-tinted lenses filter out specific light frequencies, changing how much and what type of light enters the eye. These changes in light input affect brain activity, emotional regulation, and physical performance.

• Light and the brain: Light influences the brain’s neurochemistry, particularly concerning mood and circadian rhythms. Different wavelengths (or colors) stimulate different neural pathways, resulting in varied effects.
• Filtering mechanisms: Color-tinted lenses act as filters, allowing certain wavelengths to reach the eyes while blocking others, thus enhancing certain brain functions while reducing strain or overstimulation.
• Practical applications: From improving sleep to enhancing performance or reducing anxiety, each lens color provides specific benefits depending on individual needs and environments.
• Amount of tint: The stronger the tint the more filtering/blocking the lenses are.

Green Lenses: Calming and Restorative

Green is known for its soothing and balancing effect on the brain. Neuroscientifically, green light is processed by the visual cortex and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and recovery. This color is associated with nature, which triggers an evolutionary response to relax.

Green lenses filter out harsh blue and red light, creating a softer visual experience that reduces eye strain and fatigue. They provide a calming influence on the brain, helping you feel more grounded and relaxed.

Green light affects the brain differently from other colors of light, particularly blue, red, and white light, which tend to be more activating or irritating. Studies have shown that green light is processed by the brain in a way that is less likely to trigger overstimulation. Since migraines and headaches are often linked to heightened sensory sensitivity, green light helps reduce this sensory overload, providing relief.

Migraine sufferers often experience heightened sensitivity to light (a condition called photophobia), especially to certain wavelengths like blue and red. Green light, particularly at low intensities, appears to activate fewer pain-sensitive neurons, reducing the discomfort associated with light exposure during migraines.

Green lenses filter out the harsher blue and red wavelengths of light, which are known to exacerbate headaches and provide a more balanced visual experience. This reduces strain on the eyes, which can help prevent or reduce the severity of headaches.

Green light helps with headaches and migraines because it:

• Is less activating for the brain compared to other colors like blue and red, reducing overstimulation.
• Reduces activation of pain pathways and sensitivity to light in migraine sufferers.
• Modulates nerve signals in the brain related to pain.
• Minimizes eye strain by filtering out harsher wavelengths.
• Has a calming effect that promotes relaxation, helping to alleviate migraine symptoms.

Blue Lenses: Cognitive Enhancer and Sleep Aid

Blue light plays a significant role in regulating circadian rhythms, and excessive exposure, particularly from screens, disrupts this rhythm. However, blue-tinted lenses can be used to manage light exposure more efficiently.

Blue lenses selectively filter certain wavelengths of blue light, allowing beneficial light to enter while blocking harmful short-wavelength blue light that can overstimulate the brain and affect sleep patterns.

Blue light exposure during the day boosts alertness and cognitive function, so blue lenses are beneficial when working in low-light environments, helping to maintain focus and mental clarity. Blocking short-wavelength blue light in the evening supports melatonin production, improving sleep quality.

Blue-tinted glasses can be particularly helpful for people recovering from concussions due to their ability to manage light sensitivity, regulate circadian rhythms, and minimize overstimulation.

One of the most common symptoms after a concussion is light sensitivity or photophobia. After a brain injury, the visual system can become more sensitive to certain types of light, especially high-energy blue light emitted from screens and artificial lighting. Blue-tinted glasses help by filtering out excessive blue light, which is known to exacerbate headaches, eye strain, and discomfort following a concussion.

By reducing exposure to this high-energy light, blue glasses make the visual environment more tolerable, helping to reduce symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and fatigue associated with post-concussion light sensitivity.

Excessive blue light exposure in the evening can delay melatonin production, a hormone necessary for sleep. By wearing blue-tinted glasses in the evening, concussion patients can minimize the amount of short-wavelength blue light entering their eyes, promoting melatonin release and helping to restore a healthy sleep cycle, which is crucial for brain healing and recovery.

Following a concussion, the brain is more prone to overstimulation, as it struggles to process sensory information. This can lead to sensory overload, making everyday tasks such as looking at screens, reading, or being in bright environments overwhelming and exhausting.

Post-concussion migraines and headaches are often triggered or worsened by exposure to bright or flickering light. Blue-tinted lenses help alleviate this by softening the visual input that the brain must process. By reducing the intensity of blue light, the glasses minimize the likelihood of triggering headaches and help reduce the frequency and severity of post-concussion migraines.

Blue glasses help after a concussion by:

• Reducing light sensitivity (photophobia) by filtering out high-energy blue light, can exacerbate headaches and eye strain.
• Regulating circadian rhythms by minimizing blue light exposure in the evening, helps improve sleep quality.
• Minimizing overstimulation by decreasing the visual overload that occurs due to heightened sensitivity following a brain injury.
• Reducing the frequency and severity of post-concussion headaches and migraines triggered by light exposure.
• Easing eye strain and supporting proper visual function during recovery.

Red Lenses: Performance Booster and Sleep Aid

Red lenses enhance contrast by filtering out blue and green light, improving depth perception and visual clarity in certain situations. However red lenses are also great for winding down in the evening to get a better night’s sleep.

Red lenses are helpful before bedtime because they filter out most of the blue and green light, which is known to disrupt sleep patterns.

Blue light, which is abundant in sunlight and artificial light sources like screens (phones, computers, TVs), signals to the brain that it's daytime. This suppresses the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep-wake cycles. When you're exposed to blue light in the evening, your body delays the release of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep. Red light, on the other hand, has minimal impact on melatonin production. Red lenses block out blue and green wavelengths, which are most disruptive to sleep, and allow only red light to pass through. This helps your brain maintain its natural circadian rhythm, encouraging the body to wind down and prepare for sleep.

Red light also has a calming effect on the brain, promoting relaxation and preparing the mind for rest.

Yellow Lenses: Visual Clarity and Mood Lift

Yellow lenses enhance contrast and improve vision in cloudy, foggy, or low-light environments by reducing glare and filtering blue light. This makes them ideal for activities like driving, skiing, or shooting sports.

Yellow light stimulates dopamine production in the brain, improving motivation and focus. Particularly helpful in environments with fluctuating lighting conditions, yellow lenses reduce the intensity of harsh light and can alleviate headaches associated with eye fatigue.

Yellow lenses are beneficial for working on the computer because they enhance contrast and filter out high-energy blue light that can cause eye strain and fatigue. Computer screens emit a significant amount of blue light, which can cause digital eye strain, headaches, and fatigue when you’re exposed to it for long periods. Yellow lenses filter out a portion of this blue light, particularly the high-energy short-wavelength blue light that causes the most eye strain.

In summary, red lenses before bedtime help reduce exposure to blue light and support your natural sleep cycle, while yellow lenses for computer work filter out blue light, improve contrast, and reduce eye strain for a more comfortable and focused experience.