Light is known to affect sleep. But many people are afraid of the dark and must turn on the light to fall asleep when they go to bed at night, because the light will bring a sense of security.
But did you know that lighting at night can also be harmful to human health.
1. Turn on the light to sleep, and your health suffers!
Promote obesity, hurt the heart, and be susceptible to cancer
1. Don't turn off the lights when you sleep, beware that the more you sleep, the fatter you get!
A study in the Journal of Internal Medicine of the American Medical Association showed that sleeping with the lights on or on the TV may be one of the risk factors for weight gain and even obesity in women.
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Scientists studied 44,000 women aged 35-74 with no history of cancer or cardiovascular disease, measured their height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference and body mass index, and divided the lighting conditions when they slept: turn off the lights, turn on the night light, turn on the lights or turn on the TV, and outdoor lights.
After 5 years of follow-up, it was found that the use of night lights was not related to weight gain, and the impact of outdoor lights on weight was not too great, while women who slept with lights on or TV increased their weight by 5kg or even reached 17%.
Exposure to artificial light at night may inhibit the secretion of melatonin, which supports sleep, disrupting the natural sleep-wake cycle.
Lack of sleep and poor sleep quality can lead to negative emotions, decreased self-control, endocrine disorders, etc., resulting in obesity.
2. If you don't turn off the lights when you sleep, the risk of cancer increases by 55%!
A study on nighttime lighting published in the authoritative journal Cancer showed that too much artificial lighting at night can increase the risk of thyroid cancer.
The study, which surveyed 464,000 adults on diet and health over a 13-year period, found that those with the highest levels of exposure increased their risk of thyroid cancer by 55 percent compared to those exposed to the lowest levels of nighttime light.
In terms of gender, nighttime lights have a much higher impact on women than men, increasing the risk of cancer by 29% in men and 81% in women.
3. If you don't turn off the lights when you sleep, it will hurt your heart and blood sugar!
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that having lights during nighttime sleep may negatively affect cardiovascular function and disrupt the body's metabolism the next morning compared to dark conditions.
Light as an external condition that regulates the rhythm of the human body, can greatly affect the metabolism and various functions of the human body, when people receive light during the day, the sympathetic nervous system will be activated to lead to an increase in heart rate, which can ensure the high-speed operation of the heart and improve the alertness of the human body to the external environment.
Researchers say that just one day of sleep and exposure to light can impair blood sugar regulation and cardiovascular function, and that sleeping in light for long periods of time is more likely to develop heart disease and metabolic diseases.
Of course, some people still can't break the Xi of sleeping with the lights on, and researchers have also put forward a judgment standard to help everyone judge the intensity of the light, that is, if you can see the surrounding environment clearly, it means that the light intensity is too bright for sleep.
In the case of not being able to quit sleeping with the lights on, try to choose red and orange light, which has the least stimulation to the brain.
2. Do 3 small actions before going to bed,
Sleep soundly and be stronger!
The following 3 small actions, you can insist on doing them before going to bed, and there are many other benefits while calming the nerves and helping you sleep!
1. Comb your hair with five fingers
Slightly spread the five fingers of both hands apart, and massage from the top of the head like a comb for about 5 minutes, so that you can fully stimulate the acupuncture points on the head as much as possible.
Doing this every day before going to bed can promote blood circulation in the brain and eliminate the fatigue of the brain for the day.
2. Apply warm compresses to your eyes
Take a clean towel, soak it in warm water, wring it out, fold it neatly and apply it to your eyes. If the temperature drops, soak it in hot water again, wring it out and continuing to apply to your eyes. Generally, it can be left on for about 15~20 minutes.
Long-term adherence can improve dry eyes, eye fatigue, and at the same time, it can also alleviate dark circles to a certain extent.
3. Rub the spring acupoint
The Yongquan acupoint is located in the middle depression of the front 1/3 of the soles of the feet, and it is an important acupuncture point in the kidney meridian. Every day before going to bed, use your thumb to press and rub the Yongquan acupoints on your feet 100 times in a clockwise direction, which can replenish the kidneys, strengthen the muscles and bones, and enhance the physique.
Test you:
In the case that you can't quit sleeping with the lights on, what color of light can you try to choose?