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Why Keeping Lights on at Night is Bad For Your Health
Are you afraid of sleeping in the dark? Don’t be!
The dark may have frightened you as a child, but slumbering in a pitch-black room without a sliver of light coming through is a smart decision for your health.
In fact, research suggests that sleeping in a pitch-black room could lower your risk for cancer and even improve your metabolic health. Plus, animal studies suggest that sleeping in the dark without external sources of light helps with weight control.
Sleeping in the Dark Impacts a Hormone Called Melatonin
The benefits of sleeping in the dark have to do with its impact on melatonin, a hormone the pineal gland, a tiny gland in your brain produces. Melatonin is one of your body’s most potent antioxidant, a substance that counters oxidative stress. It also sets your body’s circadian rhythms, the timetable your body follows when it releases hormones and factors that affect your immune system, blood sugar control, sleep-wake cycle, mood, appetite hormones, fertility, digestive function, and more.
One of the signals for the pineal gland to release melatonin is the absence of light hitting the back of your eyes. Therefore, you produce more melatonin at night when light levels are lower and less melatonin during the…
