Sleeping With The Lights On Can Damage Your Health
Want a good night’s sleep? Keep the lights off, but not just some of them, ALL of them. A recent sleep study conducted by Northwestern University found that having the lights on affects our sleeping more than we thought.
NPR reports the study involved 20 people. Each had one night’s sleep in full darkness. And another in what was labeled a “moderately lit” room. To give you more of an image, researcher Dr. Phyllis Zee says “moderately lit” means having “enough light that you could maybe see your way around, but it’s not enough light to really read comfortably.”
Sleeping with a ‘moderate’ amount of light in the room affected heart rate and metabolism in each subject. Even with subjects who felt they got a good night’s sleep. The fact that these physiological changes could occur, even when we sleep well, was a notably big finding.
The researchers theorize that even a small amount of light can put humans or animals into a ‘pro-inflammatory state’ during sleep. NPR says being consistently in this state while sleeping could have lasting negative health effects.
Would you rate your sleep habits as good or bad? Do you try to keep a consistent bedtime?
Source: NPR
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