Red or Blue LEDs for car accessories and gadgets?

S

Sid Post

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Oct 14, 1998
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I'm looking to replace my worn out PASSPORT 8500 with a new PASSPORT 9500ix. After reading about sleep disorders and things to let people sleep through the night, one of the things mentioned was to move all blue LED devices out of the bedroom. Apparently, blue LEDs trigger people to wake up.

I'm also curious about night time visibility. For driving, if blue LEDs keep people up, it seems like that might be a good aid to people who drive on too little sleep. In strong sunlight, sunglasses that block the blue rays make things a lot sharper. So at this point, I'm wondering if I should consider the blue LED PASSPORT 9500ix or stick with the red color which I know well.

What are your experiences driving with blue versus red LED devices at night and during the day. Do you have a preference? Does one perform better then the other?

Thanks!
Sid
 
I prefer blue. They just seem less irritating to me while driving.
 
Some shades of blue are really hard to focus on, its why you get that halo effect from some blue LEDs. It's less noticeable to some. as far as keeping you awake while driving, it might keep you from sleeping, but if your brain is worn out, you'll still be a road hazard. personally I cannot stand blue lights at night, I find them really distracting.
 
Blue light waking you up sounds like BS...

I sleep with my eyes closed. Not sure about their test subjects, but I thought that was normal :rolleyes:


I will agree that blue just looks better and feels less annoying.
 
a bit of science, you have "non-visual light sensitive" nerves all over your body. It has also been shown in studies that people exposed to blue light (LCD and LED TVs are aspected towards the blue end of the spectrum) fall asleep slower, as the brain tries to remove melatonin (the great stuff that puts the lights out), thinking that it is time to wake up.
For most people it isn't noticeable because our modern sleep patterns are so broken it can't be make much worse. But it does affect some people.
 
Red light does not affect night vision. Blue light can harm your night vision. Having it lit constantly at one point of your eye can "burn" temporary dots there, which may not be beneficial when driving at night.
 
Thanks everyone. I think I'll go with the RED LEDs to preserve my night vision and avoid the blue distraction effect.
 
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