The Super Bowl and Sleep

Did Your Super Bowl Watch Party Mess with Your Sleep? Probably Not the Way You Think! 

Millions of fans huddled around big-screen TVs to catch the Super Bowl, and you might be wondering if that exposure to blue-light-at-night (BLAN) fumbled your sleep. Turns out, it's not as big a tackle as you'd think! Research shows that a 50-inch TV viewed from 6 feet away delivers about 13 lux of melanopic Equivalent Daylight Illuminance (m-EDI). At 7 feet, its half that. So, how does this play into your body’s circadian rhythm? 

TVs Won’t Replace Your Daytime Light Needs – Relying on screens for your daytime blue-light exposure is like expecting a kicker to play quarterback. You need at least 250 m-EDI during the day for proper circadian stimulation. That's where getting morning sunshine or indoor circadian lighting comes into play! 

Evening TV Watching Isn’t a Big Blue-Light Offender – Experts recommend keeping blue light exposure below 10 m-EDI at night to avoid sleep disruption. Since a large monitor clocks-in just above that, it's not a major penalty. 

Sleeping with the TV On? Not the best strategy – While watching TV in the early evening won't sack your sleep, leaving it on late at night or dozing off in front of it might. Blue light at night (BLAN) should be below 1 m-EDI, and at 13 m-EDI, your TV could slightly shift your circadian body clocks. 

How does this disrupt my gameplan? Your circadian rhythm is the quarterback calling the plays for more than just sleep—it impacts mood, metabolism, and overall health. But most indoor lighting is poor in melanopic (sky-blue) light, leaving people under-stimulated during the day and overexposed at night. This is where SkyView™ circadian lighting comes in clutch, delivering the right light at the right time to support your natural rhythms. 

So, what's the play? If you work and play indoors a lot, make sure your home, office, and training room have circadian wellness lighting installed. And, after a marathon TV session like the big game, get up, stretch, and wind down with a no-blue-light book instead of snoozing in front of the screen. You'll score better sleep and overall wellness. After all, spring training is just around the corner. 

Example:

50-inch screen viewed from 6-foot.    

Minor blue light at night exposure.  

Melanopic EDI: 13 Lux