Can Blue Light Glasses Help with Bipolar Disorder?

When you think of bipolar disorder, you probably imagine big mood swings—feeling way up one day and way down another. That’s because bipolar disorder affects how the brain controls mood, energy, and sleep. These changes can be tough to manage, but there’s hope. New research shows that something as simple as wearing blue light-blocking glasses at night may help people feel more stable and sleep better.

Let’s take a closer look at what this means—and how it might help you or someone you love.

What Is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition where people experience intense emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and deep lows (depression). These changes can happen over days or weeks and affect sleep, thinking, energy, and how someone acts.

Manic episodes can make people feel very “up,” talk fast, sleep very little, and take big risks. Depressive episodes are the opposite—people may feel very tired, sad, or hopeless.

Most people with bipolar disorder take medicine to help manage their mood. But researchers are always looking for ways to improve treatment—especially tools that work alongside medication and don’t have side effects. That’s where blue light-blocking (BB) glasses come in.

What Is Blue Light, and Why Does It Matter?

Every day, your body runs on a natural rhythm called the circadian rhythm. Think of it like your body’s internal clock. It helps you know when to wake up, when to sleep, and even when to eat. This rhythm is mostly controlled by light—especially blue light.

Blue light comes from the sun, but it also comes from screens like your phone, computer, or TV. During the day, blue light helps us stay awake and alert. But at night, too much blue light can trick the brain into thinking it’s still daytime. This can mess with your body’s rhythm and make it hard to sleep.

For people with bipolar disorder, this matters a lot.

How Sleep and Light Affect Bipolar Disorder

Many people with bipolar disorder have trouble with sleep. Some have insomnia or wake up too early. Others feel like they don’t need to sleep at all when they’re manic. These sleep issues aren’t just side effects—they’re part of the condition.

Scientists believe that problems with the circadian rhythm may play a role in triggering manic or depressive episodes. So, if we can protect that rhythm—especially by avoiding blue light at night—it might help prevent or calm down mania.

What Are Blue Light-Blocking Glasses?

Blue light-blocking glasses are special glasses with orange or amber lenses (or sometimes clear lenses with special filters). These lenses block the blue light from screens, lamps, and other artificial lights. They don’t block all light—just the part that tells your brain “It’s daytime!”

Wearing these glasses a few hours before bed can help your brain understand that it’s night. This helps it make more melatonin, the hormone that helps you feel sleepy.

For people with bipolar disorder, using these glasses in the evening may help calm the brain and improve sleep—and that might reduce symptoms of mania.

What Does the Research Say?

1. Case Study: One Patient, Big Change

In 2014, researchers in Norway tried blue light glasses on a 58-year-old man with bipolar I disorder who was in the hospital for a manic episode. At first, he wore regular clear glasses, and nothing changed. Then, for six days, he wore orange-tinted blue light-blocking glasses from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Here’s what happened:

• He started sleeping longer and more deeply.
  
• His mood became calmer.
  
• He was able to leave the hospital 20 days earlier than in his past manic episodes.

That’s a huge difference—and it got researchers excited to learn more (Henriksen et al., 2014).

2. A Bigger Study: Real Results in Just Days

In 2016, the same research team ran a bigger study. This time, they worked with 23 people hospitalized for bipolar mania. All of them received their usual medications, but some were given blue light-blocking glasses and others wore clear placebo glasses that didn’t block light.

They wore the glasses each night from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. for one week.

Here’s what they found:

• The group with blue light glasses had a big drop in manic symptoms after just three days.
  
• After one week, their symptoms had dropped 14.1 points on the Young Mania Rating Scale (a test that measures mania).
  
• The group with clear glasses only dropped 1.7 points.
  

That’s a big difference! And it happened quickly—within just a few nights of wearing the glasses (Henriksen et al., 2016).

Why This Matters

These results are exciting because:

• It’s simple. There’s no new drug or major therapy—just a pair of glasses.
  
• It’s safe. There were no side effects reported from wearing the glasses.
  
• It works fast. Many treatments take weeks to show results, but this change happened in days.
  

The glasses don’t replace medication, but they may work together with other treatments to help people feel more stable, especially during manic episodes.

How to Use Blue Light Glasses

If you or someone you know has bipolar disorder and wants to try BB glasses, here’s what to do:

1. Choose the Right Glasses
   Look for orange-tinted glasses or clear ones that specifically say they block blue light. Not all blue light glasses are made the same, so check the product description.
   
2. Wear Them at the Right Time
   Most studies had people wear them from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. But if that’s too long, even a few hours before bed can help.
   
3. Be Consistent
   Try to wear them every night, especially during times when mood symptoms might be starting.
   
4. Talk to Your Doctor
   Blue light glasses are a helpful tool, but not a cure. Always work with a mental health professional when making changes to your treatment plan.

Who Might Benefit Most?

Blue light-blocking glasses may help people who:

• Have bipolar disorder, especially with sleep problems or mania.
  
• Spend a lot of time on screens at night.
  
• Want a natural way to support sleep and mental health.
  
• Are looking for ways to reduce medication side effects with doctor supervision.

Final Thoughts

It’s amazing how something as small as changing the light we see can have a big impact on how we feel. For people with bipolar disorder, protecting the body’s natural rhythms—especially sleep—can make a real difference.

Blue light-blocking glasses are a simple, safe tool that may help improve sleep and reduce manic symptoms. While they aren’t a cure, they’re a powerful step toward more stable, healthier days (and nights).

If you or someone you love is living with bipolar disorder, this is one small habit that could make a big difference. Talk to your doctor about whether it’s right for you.

Other Sources: 

• Gold, A. K., & Kinrys, G. (2019). Treating Circadian Rhythm Disruption in Bipolar Disorder. Curr Psychiatry Rep, 21(3), 14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1001-8
  
• https://www.newsweek.com/blue-blocking-glasses-may-help-treat-bipolar-disorder-promote-sleep-484065
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5089565/

References

1. Henriksen, T. E. G., Skrede, S., Fasmer, O. B., Hamre, B., Grønli, J., & Lund, A. (2014). Blue-blocking glasses as additive treatment for mania: a case report. Bipolar Disorders, 16(8), 894–896. https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.12241
   
2. Henriksen, T. E. G., Skrede, S., Fasmer, O. B., Schoeyen, H., Leskauskaite, I., Bjørke-Bertheussen, J., Assmus, J., Hmare, B., Grønli, J., & Lund, A. (2016). Blocking blue light during mania – the rationale of chromotherapeutic intervention. Bipolar Disorders, 18(4), 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.12390
   
3. National Institute of General Medical Sciences. (2012). Circadian Rhythms Fact Sheet. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx