It is estimated that some 10% to 15% of births result in postpartum depression. It's a serious problem for hundreds of thousands of women and families each year in the United States. While postpartum depression can be attributed to a number of factors, lack of sleep is a known contributor. But here's the good news. A team of scientists from Ohio-based John Carroll University say new mothers who want to reduce their chances of postpartum blues need to block out the blue rays of light that cause melatonin suppression. The group of physicists has developed special light bulbs for the nursery as well as special glasses that they say can help new mothers avoid sleep deprivation and perhaps depression, too.

"I became interested in the subject of light and health about 2 years ago when I became aware that using artificial light in the hours before bedtime or during the night was hurting people's health," said Richard L. Hansler, PhD, one of the inventors and director of Lighting Innovations Institute at John Carroll University. The problem has to do with melatonin, that much-needed hormone. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland, but only when the eyes are in darkness. And that, says Hansler, is one of the key challenges for new moms.

When a new mother gets up at night to take care of her baby and turns on an ordinary light, her pineal gland may stop making melatonin. When she goes back to bed, she may have trouble falling asleep. If this happens several times a night she is apt to make little melatonin. Moreover, if the pattern occurs for many consecutive nights it could disrupt her circadian rhythm. This, in turn, may lead to depression.

So Hansler's group came up with some innovative solutions. In 2001 it was discovered that not all light suppresses melatonin, only the blue rays. Experiments at the University of Toronto demonstrated that by blocking the blue rays, the pineal gland can continue making melatonin. The study inspired the John Carroll physicists to develop both eyeglasses that block blue light as well as nursery light bulbs with filters to remove the blue light.

"We conducted research to verify the products met the requirement of blocking light at wavelengths below 530nm," said Hansler. "This is the specification used for the goggles worn by subjects in the experiments conducted at the University of Toronto that showed the subjects continued making melatonin during the night even though exposed to bright light."

It may take 9 months to make a baby, but making melatonin should be a natural, nightly function. These new products may provide just the boost some new moms need. "To my knowledge there are no similar products on the market for avoiding or minimizing postpartum depression or promoting better sleep," said Hansler. The nursery lights and glasses are sold at www.sleepglasses.com.