Neuroscience

It’s not just about feeling tired. This is a biological hijacking. The blue light from your screen, especially after sunset, tricks a tiny protein in your eyes called melanopsin. This protein doesn’t help you see; its sole job is to tell your brain’s pineal gland that it’s daytime. When melanopsin detects blue light, it shuts down the production of melatonin, the critical hormone that initiates sleep. Not just any sleep, but the deep, restorative sleep your brain requires to clear out toxic waste proteins linked to Alzheimer’s. ...

It sounds like science fiction, but it’s rooted in biology. Your gut and brain are in constant conversation via the “gut-brain axis,” a direct line of communication largely carried by the vagus nerve. The trillions of bacteria in your gut don’t just digest food. Some strains actually produce neurotransmitters, like serotonin (a key regulator of mood), and can influence your brain’s reward centers. ...