We’re all familiar with the euphoric feeling and energy a good brewed cup provides, but with that morning pick-me-up comes downsides in the form of afternoon crashes, anxiety, headaches, elevated blood pressure, and sleep issues. So how about some good news? A team of Swedish researchers think that blue light therapy can provide a healthy substitute to the 1.6 billion cups of coffee consumed worldwide on a daily basis.
In the study, those exposed to only blue light performed all tasks as well as those taking caffeine, or in many cases even better. This suggests that blue light exposure can actually have as good a performance enhancing effect as caffeine, without the dangers of dependence and other side effects.
Ready to trade in your cup of coffee for a beam of light?
While blue light therapy seems a viable substitute for coffee, some caution is advised. There are sources claiming that blue light can have undesired side effects if used inappropriately at night, when our bodies are unaccustomed to dealing with that part of the light spectrum. Then again, you wouldn’t be advised to slam an espresso before bed, either.