0177 Impact of Blue-Light Blocking Glasses on Perceived Sleep Quality in College Students with Poor Sleep Quality

Abstract Introduction Evening exposure to blue light from electronics can disrupt circadian rhythms and worsen sleep quality. College students frequently use screens before bed, often experiencing poor sleep, increased daytime sleepiness, and reduced alertness as a result. Blue-light blocking glasses with amber lenses block this light from reaching the eyes and may support a healthier circadian timing and lessen downstream effects. Past studies indicate improvements in sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and daytime alertness when glasses are worn before bed. This study examines the impact of evening use of amber glasses on self-reported sleep factors in college students with poor sleep quality. Methods Six undergraduate students (male=3; mean age=19.83, SD=1.47 years) who reported poor sleep quality (global screening scores ≥5 and/or sleep efficiency scores ≤82% on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) completed one week of typical sleep (baseline). The following two weeks, participants wore amber glasses two hours prior to bedtime. Participants wore a wrist actigraph (Philips Respironics) to measure time in bed (TIB) and total sleep time (TST). After both baseline and intervention periods, participants completed surveys examining demographics, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale), sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale), fatigue (Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue), and sleep quality (PSQI). Results Preliminary paired t-tests showed significant increases in TIB (Baseline=484.3 min, Intervention=537.0 min, t(5)=-4.871, p=.005) and TST (Baseline=398.5 min, Intervention=447.5 min) after the intervention (t(5)=-5.527, p=.003). PSQI global scores improved from 9.17 (SD=3.25) at baseline to 5.00 (SD=1.67) after the intervention (t(5)=-2.751, p=.040). Moderate effect sizes indicated improvements in subjective reports of sleep efficiency (PSQI-derived, Baseline=71.69%; Intervention=86.73%, d=-0.589), fatigue (Baseline=24.56; Intervention=21.38 d=0.525), and sleepiness (Baseline=6.50; Intervention=4.33, d=0.469). Depression and anxiety symptoms did not significantly change. Conclusion These preliminary findings indicate that wearing amber glasses prior to bed may increase sleep duration and improve subjective sleep quality. While not significant, effect sizes for sleep efficiency, fatigue, and sleepiness imply that students may have experienced better sleep and reduced next-day symptoms when using the glasses. More data are needed to draw definitive conclusions, but amber glasses may offer an accessible and inexpensive method to improve sleep. Support (if any)