Some people sleep with lights on because they are afraid of the dark or need a sense of security, while others like to turn on night lights to add to the atmosphere at night. Studies in the United States and Japan have pointed out that turning on the lights when sleeping, including night lights, will not only reduce the quality of sleep, but also cause various diseases, such as obesity and depression, which is equivalent to slow suicide in disguise.
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) pointed out that exposure to light sources while sleeping increases the risk of obesity in women, especially when falling asleep while watching TV, while night lights and outdoor light sources have little effect.
In addition to increasing the risk of obesity, night lights can also lead to abnormal metabolic function, diabetes and cardiovascular risk. According to a study published in “Diabetology”, people living in areas with severe light pollution have a 28% higher chance of developing diabetes than those in areas with the least light pollution. Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of the Northwestern University Sleep Medicine Center in Chicago, USA, and his team found that during a sleep experiment, sleeping under dim light for one night will increase the blood sugar and heart rate of the subjects.
Light Affects Melatonin Production
Nara Prefecture, Japan also conducted a study on nearly 1,000 residents last year. People who sleep in a bright room for a long time have significantly thicker carotid arteries than those who sleep in a dark room. The risk of myocardial infarction also increases by 10%. The risk increased by 11.6%.
Experts explain that sleep has a lot to do with the sleep hormone melatonin. Under normal circumstances, the human body will start to secrete melatonin in the afternoon, reach its peak in the middle of the night to the early morning, and then begin to decrease in the early morning. However, urbanites continue to move around in brightly lit environments even at night, which disrupts the biological clock of melatonin secretion, which not only affects sleep, but also increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and even sudden death.
Experts suggest that one or two hours before going to bed, try to reduce the indoor light source to create an environment suitable for sleep, put down the mobile phone before going to bed, and replace it with relaxing static activities such as reading or meditation, which will help stimulate the secretion of melatonin Aids in falling asleep.
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Responsible editor: Luo Jiaxin
2023-05-13 09:16:33
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