Artificial light at night leads to premature death – study by scientists

Disruption of circadian rhythms threatens premature death

An international team of biologists, medical researchers and sleep experts from several institutions have discovered the dangers of circadian rhythm disruption. The results of the study were published in PNAS.

Scientists analyzed data from 88,905 volunteers over 40 years of age. There was a special awareness of participants in the experiment at hand. Based on the information received, the average amount of light was calculated over 24 hours.

In total, scientists recorded about 13 million hours of information. Each participant wore the sensor for seven days between 2013 and 2016.

Over eight years, 3,750 trial participants died. Researchers investigated the causes of mortality and found that exposure to light at night increases the risk of premature death. This is especially true for people with heart disease.

With artificial light at night it was more likely to develop various illnesses. Researchers advised maintaining darkness early in the morning and late at night.

Reference: It is necessary to sleep in the dark to produce melatonin, a hormone responsible for the vital functions of regeneration, regeneration of the body and extension of life.