NIGHTY NIGHT DON'T LET DEPRESSION BITE
(EverydayHealth.com) Burn the midnight oil too often, and you could be increasing your risk for depression and suicide. Artificial light at night (LAN) is the problem. One study, which looked at the effect of nighttime light exposure on the elderly, found that the longer and more intense the exposure to light at night, the greater the chance of depressive symptoms. "In our research so far, light exposure at night would be associated with depressive symptoms, sleep quality, metabolic abnormalities, and blood pressure, and a health problem like depression and insomnia are known to increase suicide," explained study co-author and sleep researcher Kenji Obayashi, MD, PhD. So how do you dim the lights? If you're used to the chatter of television soothing you to sleep, it's probably going to take time to adopt these mental health saving strategies. But try them anyway:
Switch off screens.
Turn off television, laptops, phones, computers, and tablets at least an hour before bedtime. Try listening to the radio or an audiobook as you go through your bedtime routine.
Use a red screen.
If you can't give up your tablet or phone, find an app that gives you a reddish nighttime screen to avoid the waking effect of blue light.
Dim the lights.
As you go through your evening, cut down on the lights. For example, use lamps instead of overhead lights.
Keep your bedroom dark.
"Use black-out curtains that prevent light from streetlights outside from entering the bedroom, and remember to turn off your bedroom television before falling asleep," recommended sleep researcher Tracy Bedrosian, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA.
Wear a sleep mask.
If you can't completely control the amount of light in your room, cover your eyes when you go to sleep.
Choose red nightlights.
Light on the blue spectrum is most likely to affect your sleep, so skip clear bulbs or fluorescents. "Use low levels of light in the orange/red wavelength," advised neuroscientist Randy Nelson, PhD, chairman of the department of neuroscience at Ohio State University in Columbus. Pick red light bulbs or use red goggles if you must move around at night.
Get bright early morning light.
"I would very much like to get people exposed to broad spectrum light in the morning and cut down light at night," emphasized Obayashi. Get outside, if possible.
Switch off screens.
Turn off television, laptops, phones, computers, and tablets at least an hour before bedtime. Try listening to the radio or an audiobook as you go through your bedtime routine.
Use a red screen.
If you can't give up your tablet or phone, find an app that gives you a reddish nighttime screen to avoid the waking effect of blue light.
Dim the lights.
As you go through your evening, cut down on the lights. For example, use lamps instead of overhead lights.
Keep your bedroom dark.
"Use black-out curtains that prevent light from streetlights outside from entering the bedroom, and remember to turn off your bedroom television before falling asleep," recommended sleep researcher Tracy Bedrosian, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA.
Wear a sleep mask.
If you can't completely control the amount of light in your room, cover your eyes when you go to sleep.
Choose red nightlights.
Light on the blue spectrum is most likely to affect your sleep, so skip clear bulbs or fluorescents. "Use low levels of light in the orange/red wavelength," advised neuroscientist Randy Nelson, PhD, chairman of the department of neuroscience at Ohio State University in Columbus. Pick red light bulbs or use red goggles if you must move around at night.
Get bright early morning light.
"I would very much like to get people exposed to broad spectrum light in the morning and cut down light at night," emphasized Obayashi. Get outside, if possible.
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