What I learned by living without artificial light
6 years, 11 months ago

What I learned by living without artificial light

BBC  

What I learned by living without artificial light Getty Images Light suppresses melatonin and tells our body to be alert, so using candles rather than bright lights at night may help you sleep better Linda Geddes decided to live for weeks in only candlelight – no bulbs, no screens. One 2015 study suggested that using an e-reader before bed prolonged the amount of time it took for people to fall asleep, suppressed REM sleep, and left participants feeling more tired the next morning Another recent study compared people’s responses when they played computer games during the evening on a normal smartphone screen versus one that suppressed blue light. They also started releasing melatonin some two hours earlier once they were removed from artificial light – although they didn’t sleep for any longer. “We propose that the timing and intensity of light exposure doesn’t only modulate circadian-driven aspects of sleep, but also homeostatic sleep pressure,” Gordijn says.

Sun Getty Images Wright Living Tanzania Night My Body Artificial Our Body Evening Weeks Rem Dijk Exposure Blue Light Exposed Natural Light Daylight Gsa Our Sleep Lux My Sleep Bright Light Hadza Light Sleep Morning Light That Exposure Light Exposure Sleep Efficiency More Daylight Figueiro Gordijn My Melatonin Evening Light Getty Images Light Baseline Weeks  weeks  lux  exposed  living  day  night  evening  exposure  light  sleep  daylight  artificial  learned

History of this topic

The Art of the Perfect Nap
1 week, 3 days ago

The Art of the Perfect Nap

Wired  

THIS ARTICLE IS republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Studies suggest that a short nap during this period—ideally followed by bright light exposure—can help counteract fatigue, boost alertness, and improve cognitive function without interfering with nighttime sleep. These “power naps” allow the brain to rest without slipping into deep sleep, making it easier to wake up feeling …

Why morning blue light therapy could improve sleep, daily activity in older adults
1 week, 3 days ago

Why morning blue light therapy could improve sleep, daily activity in older adults

Deccan Chronicle  

Guildford: What if a simple change in your morning light exposure could help you sleep better? To make matters worse, modern society's electric light and bright screens at night trick our body clock into thinking it is still seeing daylight. We found that people exposed to more hours of blue light in the morning had better sleep and more stable …

Doomscrolling to high sugar foods; these nighttime habits that affect your sleep
1 month, 4 weeks ago

Doomscrolling to high sugar foods; these nighttime habits that affect your sleep

India TV News  

Your nighttime sleep is extremely important and helps to maintain several important functions of the body. Eating High-Sugar Foods Consuming foods high in sugar or large meals can cause a spike in blood sugar, which leads to energy bursts making it harder for your body to relax. High sugar levels can also affect the quality of your sleep by disrupting …

How to combat sleepless nights
2 months, 1 week ago

How to combat sleepless nights

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

Night owl or early bird? Here's how your inner clock impacts your health
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Night owl or early bird? Here's how your inner clock impacts your health

NPR  

Night owl or early bird? Science journalist Lynne Peeples says the body's circadian rhythms are sensitive to many different types of changes — but especially to sunlight. Sponsor Message Peeples says she quickly lost sense of time, and began suffering from clumsiness and brain fog: "I think day seven or eight, I was just dropping everything and super uncoordinated." Peeples …

Can light affect sleep, digestion and mental health?
4 months ago

Can light affect sleep, digestion and mental health?

Hindustan Times  

Exposure to light is essential for the body to carry on the bodily functions. From knowing when to wake up, to when to eat, the light informs the body of the processes, exposure to light also helps in regulating blood pressure, body temperature and the chemical reactions in the body. Resetting the circadian rhythm: According to an article published in …

For good sleep and good health, regulate your exposure to light
4 months, 3 weeks ago

For good sleep and good health, regulate your exposure to light

NPR  

For good sleep and good health, regulate your exposure to light Your daily light exposure impacts your health. STONE: While the study can't prove causality, the link between mortality and light was there even when controlling for factors like physical activity and income. STONE: The study suggests getting bright light in the dead of night, specifically between 2 and 3 …

Getting more light in the day and less at night is good for your health. Here's why
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Getting more light in the day and less at night is good for your health. Here's why

NPR  

Getting more light in the day and less at night is good for your health. The data underscore that light represents an “emerging risk factor for poor health and longevity,” says Daniel Windred, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at Flinders University in Australia. “We know that exposure to broad daylight during the day can actually reduce …

Impact of screen time on sleep: Doctors warn of disruptive consequences
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Impact of screen time on sleep: Doctors warn of disruptive consequences

New Indian Express  

BENGALURU: In an era dominated by technology, many health experts are highlighting the role of screen time in disrupting sleep patterns. An increasing number of individuals are struggling to fall asleep on time, with doctors citing phone screen light as a major contributing factor. A growing trend linked to poor sleep habits is “revenge bedtime procrastination,” a phenomenon where individuals, …

UK government told to stop changing the clocks by scientists and doctors
5 months, 1 week ago

UK government told to stop changing the clocks by scientists and doctors

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

How to minimise sleep disruption as the clocks go back – and into winter
5 months, 1 week ago

How to minimise sleep disruption as the clocks go back – and into winter

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

Optimizing bedroom lighting for better sleep: Key factors to consider
8 months, 1 week ago

Optimizing bedroom lighting for better sleep: Key factors to consider

New Indian Express  

BENGALURU: Quality sleep is often difficult to achieve in today’s stressful world. The bedroom plays a significant role in ensuring sleep quality, where poor lighting choices can turn the space uninviting and disturbing. “Matching our body’s internal clock with external light is essential for producing good quality sleep. Dr Harshini adds, “Getting exposed to morning sunlight is a crucial factor …

Optimal bedroom lighting for sleep
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Optimal bedroom lighting for sleep

New Indian Express  

HYDERABAD: Quality sleep is often difficult to achieve in today’s modern, stressful world. The bedroom plays a significant role in ensuring sleep quality, where poor lighting choices can turn the space uninviting and disturbing. Light and the biological clock Our biological clock is designed to wake up with daylight and sleep when night falls. “Matching our body’s internal clock with …

Looking at phone screen before bed is not as harmful to sleep as believed, study says
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Looking at phone screen before bed is not as harmful to sleep as believed, study says

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

Why are we all sleeping so badly at the moment?
1 year, 9 months ago

Why are we all sleeping so badly at the moment?

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

Study reveals one major reason why you might be struggling to get to sleep
2 years, 3 months ago

Study reveals one major reason why you might be struggling to get to sleep

The Independent  

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about …

Limited screen time before sleep may not harm quality of sleep, claims research
2 years, 6 months ago

Limited screen time before sleep may not harm quality of sleep, claims research

Hindustan Times  

It is often advised to put off digital devices at least an hour before going to sleep, considering the ill effect of blue light coming from the screen on our metabolic and sleep cycle. However, a recently published study points otherwise, the finding shows that some amount of screen time may not actually be harmful for our body or neither …

Sleeping with even a little bit of light isn't good for your health, study shows
3 years ago

Sleeping with even a little bit of light isn't good for your health, study shows

NPR  

Sleeping with even a little bit of light isn't good for your health, study shows Enlarge this image Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images Turning off the lights and closing the curtains isn't exactly a catchy, new sleep hygiene hack, but this common sense advice is gaining even more scientific credibility. "I was surprised that even this fairly, I would …

How Bright Lighting Supports Healthy Body Rhythms
3 years ago

How Bright Lighting Supports Healthy Body Rhythms

News 18  

The light we experience across our daily lives has a major influence on our body rhythms. But, a new study addressed the issue of how bright lighting should be during the day and in the evening to support healthy body rhythms, restful sleep, and daytime alertness. Analysis of data across a range of laboratory and field studies proved that this …

Bright lighting can support healthy body rhythms: Study
3 years ago

Bright lighting can support healthy body rhythms: Study

Hindustan Times  

The light we experience across our daily lives has a major influence on our body rhythms. But, a new study addressed the issue of how bright lighting should be during the day and in the evening to support healthy body rhythms, restful sleep, and daytime alertness. New study sheds light on how bright lighting can support healthy body rhythms The …

Science Explains Why We Should All Work Shorter Hours in Winter
5 years, 3 months ago

Science Explains Why We Should All Work Shorter Hours in Winter

Wired  

For many of us, winter, with its chilly days and long nights, brings with it a general sense of malaise. “If our body clock is saying it wants us to wake up at 9:00, because it's a dark winter's day, but we're getting ourselves up at 7:00—then we are missing out on a complete sleep phase,” says Greg Murray, professor …

Blue light from using your phone at night will NOT keep you awake
5 years, 6 months ago

Blue light from using your phone at night will NOT keep you awake

Daily Mail  

Fears that exposure to a mobile phone's blue light before bed will throw your sleep pattern into chaos are unfounded, a leading neuroscientist has claimed. Professor Russell Foster claimed that the brightness is 'extremely unlikely' to affect the body's sleep clock because the screen light is not strong enough. On the basis of published data showing the effect of light …

Society favours morning people over night owls – here’s why it matters
6 years, 2 months ago

Society favours morning people over night owls – here’s why it matters

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Larks performed best earlier in the day, and were 7 to 8 per cent better …

Healthy sleep patterns, alertness on waking up may be affected by tablet devices
6 years, 10 months ago

Healthy sleep patterns, alertness on waking up may be affected by tablet devices

Hindustan Times  

Using light-emitting tablet devices in the evenings can lead to extended bedtimes, play havoc with a sleep-regulating hormone and affect the level of alertness in the morning, according to a recent study. “These findings provide more evidence that light-emitting electronic devices have biological effects,” said Jeanne Duffy, from Harvard Medical School in the US. “Using light-emitting electronic devices in the …

Hit the bed early every night. If you don’t get enough sleep, you will die soon
6 years, 11 months ago

Hit the bed early every night. If you don’t get enough sleep, you will die soon

Hindustan Times  

Staying up awake late in the night will make you feel much more than just being groggy in the morning. According to a study, if you are a “night owl”, or like to stay up late and have trouble dragging yourself out of bed in the morning, you are at a higher risk of dying sooner than morning “larks,” people …

An Expert-Backed, Foolproof Guide To 'Going Dry' For A Month
7 years, 2 months ago

An Expert-Backed, Foolproof Guide To 'Going Dry' For A Month

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING I love making New Year’s resolutions, but all too often, the thought of carrying on habits for a whole year intimidates me. “With any resolution or goal, it’s important to identify what might ‘get in the way,’ so consider the obstacles,” says Julia Colangelo, a licensed clinical social worker and solution-focused therapist. “We’re still in the New …

Artificial lights are eating away at dark nights — and that’s not a good thing
7 years, 4 months ago

Artificial lights are eating away at dark nights — and that’s not a good thing

LA Times  

Los Angeles is seen at night from Griffith Observatory. “This is concerning, of course, because we are convinced that artificial light is an environmental pollutant with ecological and evolutionary implications for many organisms — from bacteria to mammals, including us humans — and may reshape entire social ecological systems,” Franz Holker of the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, …

Are you a night owl or a lark? Take the science-based test
7 years, 11 months ago

Are you a night owl or a lark? Take the science-based test

Daily Mail  

There are two types of people: those who spring out of bed in the morning and those who repeatedly reach for the snooze button. However, there is a scientific reason for why some are morning people and others a night owls – an individual chronotype that determines your body’s biological preference for sleep. Scroll down for video There is a …

10 Habits That Will Dramatically Improve Your Life
8 years ago

10 Habits That Will Dramatically Improve Your Life

Huff Post  

Getty You are the sum of your habits. Your employer’s decision to move the office might seem like a huge hassle when you first hear about it, but it could end up being one of the best things that ever happens to you. But how can you ever produce something great if you don’t get started and give your ideas …

Not Getting Enough Sleep? Camping In February Might Help
8 years, 2 months ago

Not Getting Enough Sleep? Camping In February Might Help

NPR  

Not Getting Enough Sleep? Camping In February Might Help Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Kimmel/Aurora Open/Getty Images Christopher Kimmel/Aurora Open/Getty Images It's tempting to keep the computer running late and promise yourself an extra 30 minutes of bed rest in the morning. There's a simple way to combat this: End all artificial lights at night for at least a …

Scientists say night owls still more tired than early birds because genetics
8 years, 4 months ago

Scientists say night owls still more tired than early birds because genetics

Daily Mail  

Heard of the term 'social jet lag'? Snooze: Sleep scientists say that people are suffering from 'social jet lag' when they are night owls that have to get up early New research published in the medical journal Pediatrics surveyed High School students on their sleep habits. The study found that even when students clocked in the same hours in bed, …

How technology use messes with your sleep and what you can do about it
8 years, 5 months ago

How technology use messes with your sleep and what you can do about it

ABC  

In the habit of playing games on your phone or checking social media as the last thing you do before bed? Repeated use of a bright screen in the evening over five nights can delay the body clock by 1.5 hours, the Sleep Health Foundation says. How technology use affects sleep Technology use in the evenings may make it harder …

To sleep, perchance to dream, in an increasingly bright world
9 years, 1 month ago

To sleep, perchance to dream, in an increasingly bright world

LA Times  

The bright lights of big cities may be contributing to our national sleep deficit, says new research released Tuesday. Over eight years, Stanford neurologist Dr. Maurice Ohayon and his team interviewed 15,863 people from cities large and small about their sleep patterns. Compared with people living where crickets chirped and stars could be seen in the night sky, those living …

We'd all get an extra hour's shut-eye at night if smartphones had a bedtime mode
9 years, 4 months ago

We'd all get an extra hour's shut-eye at night if smartphones had a bedtime mode

Daily Mail  

The light that smartphones, tablets and e-readers emit is harming our sleep and these devices should be equipped with a filter that can be used at night, a leading sleep expert has said. Professor Paul Gringras from London's Evelina Children's Hospital says the trend for manufacturers to make gadgets bigger and brighter is harming our sleep patterns and could have …

Have sex in the dark if you want to get pregnant
9 years, 7 months ago

Have sex in the dark if you want to get pregnant

Daily Mail  

Exposure to light at night 'could be damaging women's fertility', scientists have warned Bright bedrooms could be preventing women from getting pregnant, scientists say. It is thought that night-time light from everything from street light creeping through the curtains to the eerie glow of tablet computers is playing havoc with the female reproductive cycle. The scientists said that while their …

Feeling tired? Night owls can blame their body clock
9 years, 7 months ago

Feeling tired? Night owls can blame their body clock

ABC  

News in Science Feeling tired? Night owls can blame their body clock Sleep research Night owls feel worse effects from lack of sleep the next morning because their body clock can't adjust to getting up early, researchers have found. Late body clock The clear picture to emerge from the study was that the time at which melatonin levels started to …

Too little light in the day, and not enough darkness at night: How our sleep patterns are changing for the worse
9 years, 11 months ago

Too little light in the day, and not enough darkness at night: How our sleep patterns are changing for the worse

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

A morning walk is key to losing a few pounds
10 years, 11 months ago

A morning walk is key to losing a few pounds

Daily Mail  

A morning walk is key to losing a few pounds: Scientists say bright light helps regulate metabolism Researchers be lieve the morning light helps synchronise the body clock US scientists gave 54 people monitors which recorded their light exposure Those exposed to bright light before noon were lighter than the others Office workers should go outside on their lunch breaks, …

Experts say exposure to artificial light from tablets is causing sleep disorders
11 years, 9 months ago

Experts say exposure to artificial light from tablets is causing sleep disorders

ABC  

The exploding popularity of hand-held digital devices could lead to a big jump in sleep disorders, with experts warning the light emitted from digital screens can have a disturbing effect on the body clock. Leading Australian researcher Professor Shantha Rajaratnam says there is growing evidence that the night time use of portable digital devices is likely to compound the problems …

Discover Related