GE LED Bulb Said To Promote Sleep by Controlling Spectral Quality of Light

GE Lighting is promoting a two-bulb LED solution for National Sleep Awareness Week that’s designed to counteract the effects of blue light from electronic device screens that interfere with the natural sleep cycle. GE said Thursday that its Align PM bulb controls the blue concentration of light output from computer, smartphone and tablet screens. “Light impacts not only our mood and wellness, but our ability to fall asleep,” said Gary Allen, physicist, GE Lighting. By changing the timing, amount and spectral quality of light exposure, “we can avoid disrupting the body’s natural circadian rhythms,” Allen said. When the amount of blue light emitted is reduced, the bulb’s PM setting “doesn’t impede the body’s production of melatonin and promotes its natural sleep cycle,” the company said. The company recommends using the extra-warm color temperature for 30 minutes before bedtime and then to use a different bulb with opposite light characteristics that puts off a concentrated bluish-white light for 30 minutes after waking. By tuning the spectrum of light, GE Align AM bulbs mimic daylight and suppress the body’s production of melatonin, GE said. The AM setting uses 11 watts to put out 900 lumens per hour, and the PM setting uses 7 watts for 350 lumens per hour, GE said. The bulbs sell for roughly $31 and $32 at Amazon. On our question whether GE is working on a controllable single-bulb solution that can be used for both AM and PM settings, the separate AM and PM bulbs "are the first iteration of this technology to help us gather consumer feedback on if there's demand for a single bulb to do both," a GE spokeswoman told us Thursday.