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Francene--Blog. Year 2014

Is your bedroom too light at night?

5/30/2014

7 Comments

 
More news this morning added to yesterday's shocking facts on obesity. Sleeping in a room with too much light has been linked to an increased risk of excess weight.

Picturewww.househome.co.uk
A team at the Institute of Cancer Research in London found women's waistlines were larger if their bedroom contained enough light to see across at night. The source could come from street lights, electrical alarm clocks and standby lights on equipment such as televisions. Light alters mood, physical strength and even the way we process food in a 24-hour cycle.

But don't go out and spend money on changes just yet. There is not enough evidence to make you buy thicker curtains or turn off lights.

Funded by Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the study of 113,000 women was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

The women were asked to rate the amount of light in their bedrooms at night as:

Light enough to read

Light enough to see across the room, but not read

Light enough to see your hand in front of you, but not across the room

Too dark to see your hand or you wear a mask

Their answers were compared to several measures of obesity. Body Mass Index, waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference were all higher in women with lighter rooms.

That's amazing. All? Sounds conclusive to me.

Picturewww.telegraph.co.uk
I must admit my bedroom is lit by a street light. I leave the curtains open to gain as much as possible, never thinking it might not be good for my body. The hall light comes through the glass in the front door, and the back window in the bathroom filters in light from the outdoor security light. I've always appreciated the guidance when I get up at night.

But the evidence from such a large group of people links light exposure at night with overweight and obesity. Artificial light is known to disrupt the body clock by delaying the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.

One explanation could be the light disrupts the body clock. In our evolutionary past, we were active when it was light and resting when it was dark.

Here's another way of modern suburban living affecting people in a bad way. In society's artificial environment, the combination of street lights, traffic whizzing by at all hours of the night, and electrical equipment could be affecting the way our body processes food.

7 Comments
Christy link
5/29/2014 09:17:13 pm

I use light blocking curtains (though not blackout curtains) and I try to make sure that all electronics with their bright little lights are covered. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Krystal
5/29/2014 09:39:26 pm

We have dark curtains for this very reason!

Reply
Scott link
5/29/2014 11:58:26 pm

We try keeping it dark, then we bought a new clock that is as bright as the sun! Now I cover my head with a pillow to block the clock!

Reply
Nick link
5/30/2014 02:13:59 am

Light pollution is a massive problem these days. A few years ago I was in rural France and I think I saw the stars for the first time.

Reply
Sophie Bowns link
5/30/2014 03:26:33 am

I have a black out blind in my bedroom. My room has to be pitch black when I am sleeping!

Reply
Hillary link
5/30/2014 03:43:43 am

Ooooh, I've heard about that study before. Thanks for posting! :)

Reply
Small Bedroom Minimalist link
3/20/2015 09:13:35 pm

is a good idea, I will try to enlighten the akamar me, sometimes I feel disturbed by a light so bright thanks for the info

Reply



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    Francene Stanley:
    Author
    I use news items in my fantasy novels.

    Born in Australia, I moved to Britain half way through my long life. If you like my writing, why not consider purchasing one of my books on the sidebar below?
    I blogged 260 days last year. Link.

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