Chronic disease isn’t just caused by what you eat. In this video, uncover the indoor lighting dangers you probably don’t know about! Find out how to stop circadian rhythm disruption, melatonin suppression, and other modern lighting health problems.
Light affects the circadian system, which in turn influences your mood, metabolism, hormones, sleep, and more. The circadian rhythm is a clock controlled by light and dark signals.
In our modern-day environment, the days are too dim and the nights are too bright. During the day, sunlight is filtered through glass, preventing exposure to UV and infrared light, and at night, we’re exposed to LED lights, TVs, phones, and tablets. We’re dealing with a lack of contrast!
Historically, humans were exposed to significantly more light during the day and minimal light at night. Modern lighting leads to melatonin suppression and affects your sleep and cortisol levels.
Most people are not getting the restful sleep that they need. This affects the metabolism, insulin, blood sugar, and mood. Research has shown that bright nighttime light exposure can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. Increasing sunlight exposure alone can improve your blood sugar, while evening bright light exposure can worsen it.
Constant lighting is even considered psychologically harmful. Humans have evolved with significantly more light contrast, so we’re dealing with an ancestral mismatch.
To restore your circadian rhythm and combat the harmful effects of indoor lighting, try the following:
- Make your days aggressively bright
Ensure adequate sun exposure before noon, and avoid wearing sunglasses.
- Make the night genuinely dark
Turn off overhead lighting, use soft night-lights, and dim screens 3 hours before bed.
- Restore contrast
Focus on bright light during the day and remove light sources from your room at night. Replace light bulbs with incandescent lights if possible.
Addressing the problems with modern light is one of the easiest ways to improve sleep naturally and restore your circadian rhythm.
I read this on a screen at night, with bright reading lights ready for me to get off the phone
Welp, you're dead now
I think "killing us" is exaggerated. We live in the age of click bait titles.
There are more dangerous things but I agree than circadian rhythm is important. Everything sums up. nowadays, it is hard not to look to a screen every single night. i have the dimming redshift effect configured, I think it helps.
I'd say "killing us" is probably accurate but is also true of far more things than most people realize.
I think about this as trying to find the right set of habits to get as many benefits of modernity, while paying the fewest costs.