Nighttime Light Pollution - The Unseen Impacts of Device Indicator Lights on Sleep
• Exposure to light at night is unnatural and disruptive to sleep cycles that are attuned to darkness. Many devices have indicator lights that can't be fully turned off.
• The prevalence and brightness of indicator lights has increased with newer technologies, especially with the advent of blue LED lights.
• Indicator lights serve practical purposes like showing device status, but manufacturers also use them for aesthetic appeal.
• Blue LED lights were an important innovation, winning the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, but they are especially disruptive to sleep.
• Some people resort to extreme measures like taping over indicator lights to block them out for better sleep.