Effects of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes on Circadian Rhythm and Sleep

• Published in: Psychiatry investigation Vol. 18; no. 5; pp. 471 - 477
• Main Authors: Jo, Hyunjin, Park, Hea Ree, Choi, Su Jung, Lee, Soo-Youn, Kim, Seog Ju, Joo, Eun Yeon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Neuropsychiatric Association 01.05.2021; 대한신경정신의학회
• Subjects: Original; 정신과학; OLED; Melatonin; LED; Sleep; Light
• ISSN: 1738-3684; 1976-3026
• DOI: 10.30773/pi.2020.0348

Objective Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) emit less blue light than traditional light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and we previously found that early-night OLED light exposure (LE) delays the melatonin phase by less than LED at a color temperature of 4,000 K. As a follow-up study, we investigated the effects of OLED and LED at a different color temperature (3,000 K) on melatonin profile, sleep, and vigilance.Methods 24 healthy subjects (27.5±5.1 years) were exposed to three light conditions [OLED, LED, and dim light (DL)] from 17:30 to 24:00, in a random order and with a 1-week interval. Saliva samples for melatonin were taken every hour from 18:00 to 24:00. Polysomnography (PSG) and a psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) were performed.Results Melatonin onset time was significantly delayed under OLED and LED compared with DL, with no significant difference between OLED and LED. The mean melatonin level at 24:00 under LED was lower than that under DL, but there was no significant difference between OLED LE and DL. The percentage of slow wave sleep (N3) in LED was significantly lower than in OLED.Conclusion Exposure to light in the evening can suppress melatonin secretion late at night and disturb deep sleep, and those effects are slightly worse under LED than OLED.