Do you take your cell phone or tablet to bed to stay informed or watch music videos until you fall asleep? Let us share with you the recommendation of an endocrinologist: Don’t do it anymore… this way you will avoid the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
“Exposure to artificial light can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes,” reports Dr. Francisco Rosero.
In addition, being exposed to device screens for prolonged periods of time decreases the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, and increases the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. This prevents the person from sleeping adequately, warns the Mexican Ministry of Health.
What is the relationship between artificial light and type 2 diabetes?
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Endocrinologist Rosero points out that “studies have shown that when we expose ourselves to artificial light at night, such as that from cell phones or screens, we can increase the risk of this disease, because this type of light on the retina acts by breaking circadian cycles or biological clocks.
The specialist remembers that human beings have clocks that cycle metabolism and affecting these clocks can damage glucose metabolism and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
In Infobae report that authors of a study, led by researchers at Monash University in Australia, think that “advising people to avoid light at night is a simple and cost-effective recommendation that can alleviate the global burden of type 2 diabetes.”
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The media details that “as part of the UK Biobank experiment, the health of the participants was tracked for nine years. “Those who developed type 2 diabetes were more likely to have been exposed to light between 12:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. during the study period.”
What can we do?
Foto: Pexels/Craig Adderley
The endocrinologist Francisco Rosero offers 3 recommendations:
1. Our room should be completely dark, “without lights or sparkles,” when we go to sleep.
Do you have trouble falling asleep? These are three reasons to stay away from cell phones and other electrical devices before going to sleep.
2. Leave cell phones away from the bed or outside the room. Rosero suggests removing the equipment from our surroundings from 9:00 p.m.
3. Synchronize our clocks with morning exposure to sunlight
“Let’s go out early to expose ourselves to the Sun,” invites the endocrinologist. He points out that in this way our clocks begin to synchronize. (I)