What are the best and most affordable blue blocking glasses available in Europe for improving sleep quality?

Blue-Blocking Glasses for Home Evening Use: Evidence-Based Recommendations

The evidence does not support purchasing blue-blocking glasses for improving sleep quality, as reducing screen brightness or eliminating device use in the hour before bed provides superior benefits, and the glasses themselves show inconsistent and minimal effects on sleep outcomes. 1, 2

Why Blue-Blocking Glasses Are Not Recommended

Limited Sleep Benefits

The Sleep Medicine Reviews found that while two weeks of evening blue-light-blocking glasses (amber or orange lenses) produced earlier sleep onset time in adolescents and young adults with delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, there was no significant advance in dim light melatonin onset (DLMO), which is the gold-standard circadian marker 1, 2. Additionally:

• One week of use showed no significant differences in sleep duration or night awakenings in individuals with sleep disturbance or irregularity 1, 2
• One week of evening use while using devices reduced melatonin suppression and alertness before bedtime, but showed no differences in EEG-based or subjective sleep quality compared to clear glasses 1
• A 2021 randomized controlled trial in healthy adults found blue-blocking glasses did not improve objective measures of sleep time or quality, and paradoxically showed a trend toward shorter total sleep time 3

Superior Alternative Strategies

The Sleep Medicine Society explicitly recommends reducing screen brightness or eliminating device use in the hour before bed as a superior strategy compared to blue-light filtering interventions 1, 2. The evidence shows:

• Reducing screen brightness or refraining from light-emitting device use in the hour before bed outweighs the effects of warm color-shifted devices or blue-blocking glasses 1
• "Night shift mode" on devices shows no advantage over regular mode, and both are inferior to no phone use for improving sleep quality 1, 2
• Low correlated color temperature (2000K) ambient lighting (using only floor and table lamps, avoiding overhead lights) for one hour pre-bedtime improved subjective sleep quality and reduced morning sleepiness more effectively than high CCT (6000K) lighting 1, 2

Evidence Quality Concerns

The evidence base for blue-light filtering lenses suffers from substantial quality concerns including performance bias, detection bias, and industry funding, which reduces confidence in any positive findings 2, 4. A 2023 Cochrane systematic review of 17 randomized controlled trials found:

• 65% of studies had high risk of detection bias (outcome assessors not masked) 4
• 59% had high risk of performance bias (participants and personnel not masked) 4
• Only 35% of studies were pre-registered on a trial registry 4

What Actually Works: Evidence-Based Recommendations

Behavioral Light Management (First-Line)

1. Eliminate all screen use 1 hour before bedtime 1, 2
2. Reduce screen brightness to lowest comfortable setting if you must use devices 1
3. Use only floor and table lamps in the evening (avoid overhead lights) 1, 2
4. Switch to warm-colored ambient lighting (2000K) in your bedroom and living spaces for the hour before bed 1, 2

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Do not rely on "night shift mode" as a substitute for reducing screen time—it provides no meaningful benefit over regular mode and both are inferior to no phone use 1, 2
• Do not assume blue-blocking glasses compensate for poor sleep hygiene—the glasses show minimal effects while behavioral changes show robust benefits 1, 2
• Do not purchase glasses based on marketing claims alone—most commercially available products vary considerably in filtering strength, with only those rated at melanopic daylight filtering density (mDFD) ≥1 providing sufficient reductions in melanopic input to justify "blue-blocking" claims 5

If You Still Want to Try Blue-Blocking Glasses

Given the weak and inconsistent evidence, I cannot recommend specific brands or prices for blue-blocking glasses as an effective intervention for sleep improvement. However, if you choose to experiment with them despite the evidence:

• Look for amber or orange lenses that block wavelengths ≤530 nm 1
• Ensure the product has a melanopic daylight filtering density (mDFD) ≥1 5
• Wear them for at least 2-3 hours before bedtime (from 9:00 PM until bedtime if your bedtime is around midnight) 1
• Reported adverse events are infrequent but include increased depressive symptoms, headache, discomfort wearing the glasses, and lower mood 4

The most cost-effective approach is to spend €0 on glasses and instead implement the behavioral light management strategies above, which have stronger evidence for improving sleep quality and circadian health 1, 2.