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Medicine Science

Sleep In Dimly Lit Room Can Be Bad For Your Health, Study Suggests 110

Posted by BeauHD from the time-to-invest-in-a-sleep-mask dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Sleeping in the dark may reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, a new study suggests. Exposure to overhead lighting during sleep at night, compared to sleeping in a dimly lit room, harms heart function during sleep and affects how well the body responds to insulin the next morning, researchers found. They suggest it is important for people to avoid or minimize the amount of light exposure during sleep, and that if people are able to see things well, it is probably too light. The study found that, when exposed to more light during sleep, the body went into a state of alert, with the heart rate rising and the body not being able to rest properly.

According to the scientists, people should not turn lights on, but if they do need to have some light -- for example, in the interests of safety for older adults -- it should be a dim light that is closer to the floor. The color is also important, with amber or a red/orange light less stimulating for the brain. White or blue light should be kept far away, the experts suggest. Blackout curtains or eye masks are a good option if outdoor light cannot be controlled. The study of 20 people found that insulin resistance occurred the morning after people slept in a light room. This is when cells in muscles, fat and the liver do not respond well to insulin and cannot use glucose from the blood for energy. To make up for it, the pancreas makes more insulin and, over time, blood sugar goes up. Senior study author Dr Phyllis Zee, chief of sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in America, said: "The results from this study demonstrate that just a single night of exposure to moderate room lighting during sleep can impair glucose and cardiovascular regulation, which are risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome." Dr Daniela Grimaldi, a co-first author and research assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern, added: "We showed your heart rate increases when you sleep in a moderately lit room. "Even though you are asleep, your autonomic nervous system is activated. That's bad. Usually, your heart rate together with other cardiovascular parameters are lower at night and higher during the day."

The study has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Sleep In Dimly Lit Room Can Be Bad For Your Health, Study Suggests More

Sleep In Dimly Lit Room Can Be Bad For Your Health, Study Suggests

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  • That's *not* what it says, at all -- (Score:3)

    by Valgrus Thunderaxe ( 8769977 ) on Monday March 14, 2022 @11:43PM (#62358455)
    Exposure to overhead lighting during sleep at night, compared to sleeping in a dimly lit room, harms heart function during sleep and affects how well the body responds to insulin the next morning, researchers found.

    WTF?

    • What? The study says sleep is bad for you? /j

    • Yeah, I was also confused by the title not seeming to match up with the statement you quoted from the summary. Way to go, /.!!!

    • The study found that people did better in sleeping in a very dark room.
      The compared less than 3 lux (quite dark) to 100 lux (not enough light for reading). Less than 3 lux was healthier.

      How much is 100 lux? The study says 100 lux is too bright, but how much light is that? Here are some recommended lighting levels for comparison.

      Kitchen
      General 300 lux
      Countertop 750 lux

      Home office
      General 500 lux
      Ta

      • 100lux is about the level of brightness for a well-lit hallway.

        • Is that a hallway with 1 light, 2 lights, 1000 lights? Brightly lit enough to see your toes or feel like u are on the surface of the sun or on the surface of the moon?

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by jbengt ( 874751 )

            Is that a hallway with 1 light, 2 lights, 1000 lights?

            A hallway with a level of brightness of 100 lux is a hallway with enough lights to provide 100 lumens per square meter.
            An if you don't know what that is to your eyes, get a light meter and try it out - that's the only way you can know first-hand.

      • What - sleep means sleep. REM= quality sleep. Logically 1) No phones in the bedroom , none. On the hall stand. 2) Ringing phones must surely be worse, if looked at. 3) Blackout windows - No car headlights. Hint perspex from a TV will conduct light sideways when the sun comes up. 4) Feeble PIR enabled red led light for the bathroom 5) Pretty sure bedrooms should get colder during the night 6) Avoid truck/road noise.And late hifi muzak

        • Logically 1) No phones in the bedroom , none.

          Well, that's not entirely practical these days.

          I mean, many if not most houses no longer have wired landlines...so, you need a phone beside the bed in case there is an emergency call.

          I do this, but that doesn't mean I look at the phone once I turn out the lights and go to bed.

          I turn it to nighttime mode...silences text msgs, etc....but if I got an emergency phone call it will come through.

          Are people really not able to have a phone on the nightstand beside t

  • Editing fail (Score:3)

    by arosenfield ( 998621 ) on Monday March 14, 2022 @11:56PM (#62358481)

    As much fun as it is to bash the Slashdot editors, this is actually the Bloomberg editors' fail. TFA's original title is currently:

    Sleep in Dimly Lit Room Can Be Bad for Your Health, Study Suggests

    Second paragraph:

    Exposure to overhead lighting during sleep at night, compared to sleeping in a dimly lit room, harms heart function during sleep and affects how well the body responds to insulin the next morning, researchers found.

    These are complete opposites in meaning.

    • Yeah this direct contradiction is the only reason I clicked through my RSS reader to come here and leave a comment. And I only comment on /. Like once a decade. So see ya in the 30s.

    • Well, sleeping in a dimly lit room can be bad for your health, if that room has overhead lighting. The summary never claimed the overhead lights had to be on.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by sjames ( 1099 )

        Your scenario is especially true if the lights aren't well secured...

      • Well, sleeping in a dimly lit room can be bad for your health,

        It was certainly bad for Grandma Johnson's health, she died not long after Grandpa Johnson mortared in the last brick.

    • Stop it. Your logic & facts are hurting my feelings. The article's fine - sleeping in a dark-bright room gives you diabetes. You can counter this with orange mood lighting in your hallways but only if you're old. I suspect that 'big mood lighting' is behind this study somewhere.

    • This must have been written by someone who has a sleeping disorder.

    • Don't worry, there is still time to fail, dupe will be posted soon.

    • As much fun as it is to bash the Slashdot editors, this is actually the Bloomberg editors' fail.

      If they deserved to be called editors, they'd have RTFA and noticed the discrepancy.

  • This just in... (Score:3)

    by jddj ( 1085169 ) on Tuesday March 15, 2022 @12:16AM (#62358505) Journal

    Sleeping with a dimwit can be even worse for you!

  • Like we evolved sleeping in over hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years? And the best light is a dim red/orange, low to the ground...like embers of a fire? Homo erectus probably tamed fire, so we evolved living in a cave with fire before homo sapiens even showed up. Makes perfect sense that this would be the less stressful of all.

    • We know early humans lived and worked in caves because we found evidence there. But early humans also lived and worked not in caves, and it's just harder to find the evidence because it wasn't preserved in a cave.

      • I'm guessing you haven't watched the Flintstones. Of course everyone used to live in caves. Construction hadn't been invented yet. Otherwise they'd have been homeless & a burden to society.

    • Speaking as a somewhat elderly member of the species Homo Sapiens, I should inform you that not all sleeping is done at night. An afternoon nap is quite normal, and that would generally imply sleeping in daylight conditions. It is also worth noting that cats are not at all harmed by sleeping for most of the day.

      Returning to species Homo, it makes sense to lie down and take a rest in the heat of the day, and be more active when the air cools down. Those Mediterranean folks aren't just lazy. They might know a

      • Siestas are good, but Englishmen detest a siesta...

        Just how old are you? Noel Coward's Mad Dogs and Englishmen [youtube.com] or Leon Russell's? [youtube.com]

        • I am just about old enough for the Knurl Card version. Also, I have an interest in classic films, many of which were made before I was born.

          As well as considerations of healthy sleep patterns, there is the point about healthy work/rest patterns. With working from home, I tend to split my work into phases of about an hour or so at a time, alternated with shopping, eating, and piddling about on the internet. This usually extends into the evening, if there is nothing much worth watching on the telly. This cont

    • I simulate this with the faint red lights on the power strips that all my electronics are plugged into. Unfortunately, I ruin the effect by falling asleep with the TV on much of the time.

  • Would that mean there is correlation of those diseases to the latitude where people are living at? In Nordic countries (and Alaska, Iceland etc) the summer nights are light and the sun can be up more or less 24/7 for certain period of time. Adaptation to natural cycles may help, though.

    The switchover periods spring and autumn are statistically the most dangerous AFAIK (with regarding mental health, and in consequence otherwise too perhaps).

  • Most people sleep with their eyes shut which mitigates the adverse effects of ambient light. FOAD.

    • Depends on the sensitivity of your eyes and the intensity of the light.
      I can not sleep with any light what soever.
      Even the small green led on the charger cable of my Mac is to much to sleep with.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Kokuyo ( 549451 )

        Status LEDs on things you might have in your bedroom should never be anything else than red.

        But form over function. It's 2022 after all.

        • I've still got a clock with a red seven segment display. I was horrified by blue ones when they came out. No way I'd have one.

          I hate blue and white LEDs on anything. I usually put electrical tape or something like that over them.

          • I've still got a clock with a red seven segment display. I was horrified by blue ones when they came out. No way I'd have one.

            Same here. I actually tried using a blue and white LED bedside clock and the damn thing actually disturbed my sleep. It might not have been so bad but that blue backlight with white segments is outrageously bright. I switched back to my red seven segment and still use it. It's 25 years old now.

    • This study shows light has an influence even if your eyes are closed. The mechanism by which this happens should be obvious even to you, because you can easily distinguish between a lit room and a dark room with your eyes closed.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by pr100 ( 653298 )

      The point of the study is that there's harm in any case.

      I also seem to recall that other studies have shown that sleeping with too much light is bad for your eyes too.

      Long story short: sleep in as dark an environment as possible.

    • https://www.sciencedirect.com/... [sciencedirect.com]

      Highlights

      â Skin has a photosensitive system similar to the one found in the eye.
      â Photosensitive molecules in the skin include biomolecules, endogenous chromophores, pigments and opsins.
      â The effects of sun exposure on the skin result from the interaction of photons with photosensitive molecules.
      â Opsins mediate several biological processes in the skin and can be pharmacologically targeted.
      â Excessive UV radiation and visible light should be avoided, though both have beneficial effects at low levels of exposure.

      Abstract

      The consensus on the effects of excessive sun exposure on human health has long emphasized the negative effects of solar UV radiation.
      Nevertheless, although UV radiation has been demonized, less is known about the consequences of sun exposure while using sunscreen, which can lead to high visible light exposure.
      UV and visible light play key roles in vitamin D synthesis, reduction of blood pressure, among other beneficial effects. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive view of the wide range of responses of the human skin to sunlight by revisiting data on the beneficial and harmful effects of UV and visible light.
      We start by exploring the interaction of photons in the skin at several levels including physical (depth of photon penetration), chemical (light absorption and subsequent photochemical events), and biological (how cells and tissues respond).
      Skin responses to sun exposure can only be comprehensively understood through a consideration of the light-absorbing molecules present in the skin, especially the light-sensing proteins called opsins. Indeed, many of the cellular responses to sun exposure are modulated by opsins, which act as the "eyes of the skin".

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Seriously? You think that was not already factored in?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by fazig ( 2909523 )
      Closed eyelids mitigate, but do not prevent ambient light from causing the cones and rods in your retina register it, start their photo-chemical reaction and sending signals to your brain.
      For example right now I'm sitting in front of my 350cd/m^2 IPS screen. I close my eyes and compare how much light I still see with my hand in front of my eyes and the closed eyelids unobstructed. There's a notable enough difference.


      TFS and TFA might be crap, which the average Slashdot user ought to be aware of by now.

  • Title: "Sleep In Dimly Lit Room Can Be Bad..."
    Summary: "Exposure to overhead lighting during sleep at night, compared to sleeping in a dimly lit room, harms heart function..."

    All I get from this is sleep is bad, dimly lit sleep is more bad, overhead lighting during sleep (submarine duty?) is even more bad.

    Can I get a comparison to football fields of destruction please?

    • Can I get a comparison to football fields of destruction please?

      Sleep isn't measured by area, but by volume.

      You need measurements in either Libraries of Congress or Blue Whales, I'm sorry.

  • The article literally says that dim light is okay and suggests dim lighting options. WTF FFS read the article summary before writing your summary title.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gweihir ( 88907 )

      No, it does not. It says that if you must have light, make it dim and near the floor. It is still bad, just less bad.

  • Exposure to overhead lighting during sleep at night, compared to sleeping in a dimly lit room, harms heart function

    So actually, the title is wrong: the study suggests that sleeping in a dimly lit room is good for your health, it is sleeping in a moderately lit room that is bad.

  • Oh this is just great news, there is enough light to read here at night during summers. Perhaps the total darkness during winter compensates for this effect?

  • no shit (Score:2)

    by Tom ( 822 )

    Science confirms what everyone already knew. No, I mean it's good that it did, but "news" ?

    I'm one of thousands if not millions of people who used to live in the city and moved to the countryside. The absence of street lights near my window and street noise during the night has done WONDERS for my sleep. It's amazing.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by suss ( 158993 )

      Until they put in a wind farm within 50 kilometer of where you live... I barely get any sleep anymore because of the constant humming noise.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Tom ( 822 )

        Try measuring that noise to discern how loud it actually is vs. what's in your head.

        I have lots of wind turbines nearby, the closest is about 5 km away. And I swear I have never, ever, heard a thing.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by suss ( 158993 )

          It's very difficult to measure low frequency noise with instruments.
          I can compare it to a low flying plane going over or a big truck idling, except they don't go away.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jbengt ( 874751 )

      Science confirms what everyone already knew.

      So you already knew this?
      "Measures of insulin resistance (morning homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, 30-min insulin area under the curve [AUC] from a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test) were higher in the room light versus dim light condition. Melatonin levels were similar in both conditions. In the room light condition, participants spent proportionately more time in stage N2 and less in slow wave and rapid eye movement sleep. Heart rate was highe

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Tom ( 822 )

        Nope, those are the scientific details. That's the interesting part. Everyone already knew the sleep impact - but now we now WHY and how exactly it works.

        I like when science confirms common sense or general knowledge and then goes to explain it. Don't get me wrong.

    • Curiously, I tended to find it difficult to sleep in country locations, away from the continuous drone of city life at night. The slightest noise of an animal moving about outside would wake me up. Mind you, living in the city, I could do without my neighbour, who has an unusually powerful car audio system, and keeps late hours. I actually like his taste in music, which probably makes the disturbance even worse.

  • So, since sleep is now bad for your health, drink more coffee and don't sleep.
  • Seriously? Senior study author Dr Phyllis Zee. Like... Zee, Phyllis on my contacts list?
  • Going to join the chorus here that the title says the exact opposite thing that the summary does.
  • Oh good, finally one of my behaviors lands on the ‘good for you’ side of the spectrum. I can’t stand having light in my bedroom when sleeping. Anything with an LED gets modified with foil tape to block it out, blackout curtains installed, no phone in the room. I like it as cave-like as possible.
    Of course, this is unlikely to be enough to offset my other unhealthy habits, but hey, bacon is wonderful.

  • ...or is it one of those papers from the 50% that is unreviewed and irreproducible?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replication_crisis

  • sleep under the stars in short fits, being easily wakened.

    We slept for 2-4 hours, got up, had some sex, perhaps talked for a bit, then went back to sleep. Unless a nocturnal predator attacked, then we woke up and fought back.

    Our ancestors did that for many million of years. Only in the past million years at the most did we start living in caves - regular or artificial ones.

    I doubt that anything less than moonlight will do us much harm.

    • That looks like a fair summary. I think the idea that it is natural to zonk out for eight continuous hours is quite wrong. A while ago, I read about the life of the famous diarist, Samuel Pepys. Depending on the season, he would retire to bed early, then wake up at dead of night, light a candle, and scribble in his diary, or have naughty relations with a serving girl, which would provide exciting material for his diary. Mr Pepys was rather explicit about his dalliances, so some of his writings were not cons

    • Live long enough to reproduce; long life, we didn't need to have.

  • Many of the places people have always historically lived and slept really are not all that dark a full half of the month when there is more moon.

    It gets dark at night in the wood but if you are out on the plains I'd get 30-50% of the time there is enough moon light to walk around pretty safely even if you are somewhere where there is little light pollution. That is fairly 'white' light too.

  • handy day and night...

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