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ROCHESTER, Minn. — If you use a night light or leave a light on in the hallway outside your bedroom while you sleep, you might want to think about turning them off. A study from Northwestern University shows that exposure to light at night increases an older person's risk of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Researchers say any type of light is linked to higher disease rates.
“Whether it be from one’s smartphone, leaving a TV on overnight or light pollution in a big city, we live among an abundant number amount of artificial sources of light that are available 24 hours of a day,” said Dr. Minjee Kim, assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Older adults already are at higher risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, so we wanted to see if there was a difference in frequencies of these diseases related to light exposure at night.”
The researchers have tips on how to keep your sleep space dark, including:
- Turn all lights off. If you need to have a light on for safety, make sure it's dim and closer to the floor.
- Pay attention to color. Choose lights that are less stimulating, such as amber or red/orange. Don’t use white or blue light.
- Block it out. Blackout shades or eye masks may help to block out outside light. Move your bed to keep your face away from an outside source you can't control.
The study is published in the journal SLEEP.
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