here’s growing concern among experts that the proliferation of glowing gadgets like computers may fool your brain into thinking that it’s still daytime after the sun has gone down. Exposure during the night can disturb sleep patterns and exacerbate insomnia. Such concerns are not new. Thomas Edison may have created these problems when he invented the light bulb. But the problem has grown worse thanks to the popularity of Apple’s new slate computer, the iPad. Many consumers use an iPad to read at night. According to CNN: “That makes the iPad and laptops more likely to disrupt sleep patterns than, say, a television sitting across the bedroom or a lamp that illuminates a paper book, both of which shoot far less light straight into the eye, researchers said.” Everything in nature has a rhythm, and that includes your body. The ebb and flow of the ocean’s tide, the rising and setting of the sun, and the transition from one season to another all happen with comforting regularity. Your body, too, strives to keep its 24-hour cycle, or circadian rhythm, steady and even. This is why most of us naturally feel like waking when the sun comes up, and sleeping when it’s dark. Researchers have also shown how your circadian rhythm is involved in everything from sleep, to weight gain, mood disorders, and a variety of diseases. U
nfortunately, modern life throws multiple wrenches into the works, as it were, mainly by artificially extending ‘daytime.’ The advent of the light bulb may have been bad enough, but today there are any number of glowing gadgets tricking your brain into thinking it’s still day time, well past sundown. This extended exposure to artificial light can disrupt your sleep cycle and make minor insomnia worse. Why is that so? Because when light receptors in your eyes are triggered, they signal your brain to ‘stay awake.’ To do that, your brain stops secreting melatonin, which is both a hormone and a potent antioxidant against cancer. Normally, your brain starts secreting melatonin around 9 or 10 pm, which makes you sleepy. These regularly occurring secretions thus help regulate your sleep cycle. However, if you regularly trick your brain into altering this cycle, sleep disturbances are not far behind. It can even create a state of permanent “jet lag.” The trouble with many of the electronic gadgets available today is the type of light they emit. Computer screens and most light bulbs emit blue light, to which your eyes are particularly sensitive simply because it’s the type of light most common outdoors during daytime hours. As a result, they can disrupt your melatonin production.
The quality of the light you’re exposed to during the day also matters when it comes to maintaining a healthy rhythm. While most of us are over-exposed to light in the evenings, most of us are also under-exposed to light during the day! Most incandescent- and fluorescent lights emit very poor quality light. What your body needs for optimal functioning is the full-spectrum light you get outdoors. Using full spectrum light bulbs in your home and office can help ameliorate this lack of high quality sunlight during the day. For use in the evening, you can now purchase “low blue lights.” These light bulbs emit an amber light opposed to the blue that suppresses melatonin production. Therefore, these bulbs are ideal for areas such as your bedroom and bathroom, for example. You could also use them in your living room. TVs and computers also emit a lot of blue light, which will zap your melatonin if you work past dark, so ideally, you’d want to turn these items off once the sun goes down. Keep in mind that even a small amount of light, like keeping a night light on, or turning on the bathroom light to go to the restroom, can be enough to suppress the melatonin production for that night. So, if you have to get up, try to resist the temptation to turn on the light. So is recommended installing blackout shades to ensure complete and total darkness in your bedroom. As a summary, the following guidelines can help to keep your circadian rhythm in its natural cycle:
•Use full-spectrum light bulbs in your home and office during daytime hours.
•Turn off computers and electronic gadgets once the sun sets, and avoid watching TV late at night.
•Use “low blue lights” in areas where you spend most of your time in late evening, such as your living room, bedroom, and bathroom.
•Sleep in total darkness! If there is even the tiniest bit of light in your room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland’s production of the hormones melatonin and serotonin.
•Sleep when it’s dark outside and get up when the sun comes up. At minimum, strive to sleep between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
•Avoid working the night shift. It’s been linked to significantly lower levels of serotonin, which may cause sleep problems, anger, depression and anxiety.
