Blue lighting may help you reduce stress

Did you just fight with your friend and are you seeking some relaxation to reduce your stress level? Take heart and try the blue light therapy. Blue lighting accelerates the relaxation process after acute psychosocial stress in comparison with the conventional white lighting, new research says. Psychosocial stress or the 'said stress' is a kind of short-term stress (acute stress) that occurs during social or interpersonal relationships, for example while arguing with a friend or when someone pressures you to finish a certain task as soon as possible.

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Psychosocial stress produces physiological responses or the physical response to a stimulus that can be measured by means of bio-signals, mentioned in the research led by Francisco Pelayo, professor at the University of Granada, Spain. The researchers asked the volunteers to be under high stress for the study and then evaluated them over a relaxation session within a multisensory stimulation room. The participants were divided in two groups, the first group lied down under blue light and the second group lied down under white light.

Diverse bio-signals, such as heart rate and brain activity, were measured throughout the whole session by means of an electrocardiogram and an electroencephalogram respectively. The research, published in the journal Plos One, stated that any form of stress was very common and negatively affected people's health and quality of life. The results found that participants who lied down under blue light relaxed more quickly than those who were under white light.