0081 Effects of Blue-Light Blocking Glasses on Sleep and Cognition in College Students with Poor Sleep Quality

Abstract Introduction Blue light from evening electronic use suppresses melatonin and disrupts sleep, contributing to cognitive impairments. College students, who frequently use devices before bed, may benefit from amber blue-light-blocking glasses that reduce exposure without changing use patterns. Given known sleep-related deficits in attention, inhibitory control, reaction time (RT), and working memory, this study examines whether evening use of amber glasses can improve sleep and cognitive outcomes in poor-sleeping college students. Methods Five (male=3) full-time undergraduate students (mean age=20.2, SD=1.30 years) with poor sleep quality (global screening scores ≥5 and/or sleep efficiency ≤82% derived from Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) completed one week of typical sleep (baseline), then wore amber glasses two hours prior to bedtime for the next two weeks. Wrist actigraphs (Philips Respironics) were worn all three weeks. Participants’ accuracy and RTs were assessed using the Sternberg Working Memory Task, Go/No-Go Task, and Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded at baseline and after the intervention. Results Preliminary paired t-tests and repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted. Participants’ total sleep time increased after the intervention (Baseline = 394.5 min, Intervention = 449.6 min, t(3)=-4.398, p=.022). RTs increased with memory load, with faster responses to probes when initial display included 2 compared to 4 [t(3)=-3.942, p=.023, d=-0.869] and 6 [t(3)=-5.683, p = .003, d=-1.293] memory items. Descriptive plots (not significant) showed a trend toward faster RTs after intervention. RTs on Go trials improved after intervention (approaching significance, t(3)=2.872, p=.064, d=1.436). Three of 5 participants experienced fewer lapses on the PVT after intervention. EEG recordings revealed changes in N2 event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes across all three cognitive tasks after intervention. Conclusion These initial findings suggest that wearing amber glasses before bedtime may be associated with increased sleep duration and faster response times. Although there is no significant relationship between glasses usage and RT or processing speed with the current sample, the data show a trend of improvements in cognitive measures, which may become statistically significant with more participants. Given the preliminary nature of the current dataset, continued data collection is needed to determine whether these ERP changes reflect amber glasses intervention. Support (if any) None