I sleep better with lights on. In fact I have been sleeping with my lights on since I was a kid.
I sleep with lights on because I used to be a very fearful child while growing up. I guess I just got used to it.
I didn’t know of any health implications, or side effects of sleeping with lights on.
My sleeping with lights on was simply because of anxiety, I was always fearful.
A New study shows the side effects of sleeping with lights on
According to a new study, exposure to ambient light while sleeping can result in an increased heart rate and blood sugar the next day.
The findings show that one night of moderate light exposure during sleep can “impair glucose and cardiovascular regulation,” according to senior study author Phyllis Zee, chief of sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The study, which was published in the journal PNAS on Monday, compared the effects of sleeping in moderate light versus sleeping in dim light over the course of a single night.
Participants who were exposed to moderate light showed an increase in alertness.
The way a person’s nervous system reacts to light during the day – when light heightens awareness and increases heart rate – and while asleep were found to be similar.
Your autonomic nervous system is active even when you are sleeping.
That’s not good. “Your heart rate and other cardiovascular parameters are usually lower at night and higher during the day,” said Daniela Grimaldi, co-first author and research assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University.
In the meantime, researchers discovered a link between sleeping in a brightly lit room and the development of diabetes and obesity.
They discovered that people who were exposed to light while sleeping had higher insulin resistance the next morning, which can lead to high blood sugar levels over time.
This, according to Zee, adds to the findings of a previous study, which found that healthy people who were exposed to light while sleeping were more overweight and obese.
“Now we’re demonstrating a mechanism that could be crucial in explaining why this occurs,” Zee said. “We’ve demonstrated that it has an impact on your glucose regulation.”
Light exposure during the day, in addition to sleep, nutrition, and exercise, is an important factor for health, but we show that even low levels of light during the night can impair measures of heart and endocrine health “Zee went on to say.
Zee then offered suggestions for reducing the negative effects of nighttime light exposure. First and foremost, she advised, turn off the lights.
If this isn’t possible, limit your exposure to blue lights from screens and keep them away from sleeping people.
If lights are required, choose a color that is less stimulating. Finally, Zee advises using blackout curtains or eye masks.
According to Zee, there is only one way to tell if one’s room is too bright.
“If you’re able to see things, it’s a good sign.
