Lampposts, offices where the lights stay on, industry that continues: light pollution increases every year. It has been known for some time that animals suffer from this, but too much light in the ‘dark hours’ also has a negative effect on people.
“The effects of too much light on nature are fairly well known, but we only know the tip of the iceberg about those on humans,” says chronobiologist Roelof Hut today in The Telegraph. What’s up with that?
Signal for biological clock
Biorhythm researcher Laura Kervezee agrees with Hut’s statement. “We know that light is very important: without it we would not be able to see. But what we have only discovered in recent years is that light is also very important for other functions.”
“One is that it is a signal for our biological clock,” she explains. “This ensures that all kinds of processes in the body, such as body temperature and the processing of food, remain in line with the 24-hour cycle on earth.” Disruption of this internal clock can be harmful to health, says Kervezee.
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Too much light in the evening
Light and dark are both important for our biorhythms, says professor of light and environmental psychology at Eindhoven University of Technology Yvonne de Kort. “To sleep well at night, you benefit from as little light as possible, while during the day you need a lot of light.”
So it’s mainly about the contrast between the two. “But we get little light during the day, because we live indoors so much. This means that we are very sensitive to light exposure in the evening and at night. The lights are on both inside and outside and that is not good.”
Sleep and immune system
And that can have negative consequences. De Kort: “If your biorhythm is disrupted, you will experience sleep complaints. You have difficulty falling asleep, you do not feel rested. It can also negatively affect your mood, affect your immune system and lead to cardiovascular disease and weight gain.”
At night, while you sleep, you produce hormones that ensure that your metabolism continues to function properly and that you are less hungry, says De Kort. “That’s why you have to sleep at night and be in the dark. Just like you have to be awake during the day for the same reason, in the light.”
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‘Go outside during the day’
What can you best do to prevent complaints? De Kort advises that you do not turn on the lights too brightly in the evening, that you avoid blue light and that you do not sit too close to your screen. “And choose more often to leave the television off and read a book, for example.” She also advises against taking your phone to bed.
At the same time, the professor advises to consume as much light as possible during the day, because on average we spend a lot of time indoors. “Go outside a lot,” she urges people. “Because the more light during the day, the less sensitive you are to disturbances in the evening.”
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2024-03-12 16:22:42
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