Hmmmh, interesting thread! Thanks for raising the issue.
I have never had problems sleeping even during broad daylight with uncovered windows. But then I don't have totally uninterrupted sleep. It's not like I go to sleep in the evening and wake up in the morning, but my sleep is divided into a series of "mini-sleeps". I briefly wake up, turn around and continue to sleep; it doesn't feel uncomfortable, probably because that's the way I have been sleeping all my life. I don't always feel totally rested in the morning, and mostly have trouble getting up. I often have to literally drag myself out of bed ... so maybe more darkness IS the answer. Unfortunately that means that I would have to close the windows and run the air-conditioner all night, otherwise it gets too stuffy. And I hate sleeping with the air-conditioner on. So I feel a bit like caught between a rock and a hard place.
Dr. Mercola has raised this issues in one of his recent news letters as well:
_http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/28/sleeping-with-the-lights-on-could-cause-weight-gain.aspx
In this article he cites research that connects interrupted sleep with weight gain:
There is also a link to interrupted sleep pattern and cancer:
And for those who have to use a computer after nightfall,I found this little (free) program, that is adapting the screen "temperature" after the sun goes down. It gradually shifts the screen color away from blue towards red, as the blue color simulates "daylight" whereas red does this to a lesser extent. It's called Flux and can be found here:
_http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/
It's a bit weird at the start, as the color looks quite unnatural, but after a little while you adapt. And it seems to me to be more relaxing on the eyes. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
They also have a page with a collection of some articles about sleep research:
_http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/research.html
Will definitely get the book onto my wish-list/ book pile (which is ever growing taller!)
WEIRD!!!
Just tried to post this and the Cass website was totally unresponsive!
Switched a "anonymiser" service on - et voila, back in business!?!
![Embarrassed :-[ :-[](/forum/styles/cass/smilies/embarrassed.gif)
I have never had problems sleeping even during broad daylight with uncovered windows. But then I don't have totally uninterrupted sleep. It's not like I go to sleep in the evening and wake up in the morning, but my sleep is divided into a series of "mini-sleeps". I briefly wake up, turn around and continue to sleep; it doesn't feel uncomfortable, probably because that's the way I have been sleeping all my life. I don't always feel totally rested in the morning, and mostly have trouble getting up. I often have to literally drag myself out of bed ... so maybe more darkness IS the answer. Unfortunately that means that I would have to close the windows and run the air-conditioner all night, otherwise it gets too stuffy. And I hate sleeping with the air-conditioner on. So I feel a bit like caught between a rock and a hard place.
Dr. Mercola has raised this issues in one of his recent news letters as well:
_http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/28/sleeping-with-the-lights-on-could-cause-weight-gain.aspx
In this article he cites research that connects interrupted sleep with weight gain:
"... [P]revious work has shown hormones that aid in metabolism are affected in humans exposed to light at night ... Night light could have reduced those hormones in mice, and coupled with a disruption in the mice's internal clocks, could have been responsible for their weight gain."
There is also a link to interrupted sleep pattern and cancer:
Your weight is not the only factor at risk if you frequently leave lights on at night.
A part of your brain called the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) -- a group of cells in your hypothalamus -- controls your biological clock. And the cells that make up your SCN respond to light and dark signals.
Light actually travels through your eye's optic nerve to your SCN, where it signals your body's clock that it's time to wake up. Light also signals your SCN to initiate other processes associated with being awake, such as raising your body temperature and producing hormones like cortisol.
Meanwhile, when your eyes signal to your SCN that it's dark outside, your body will begin to produce melatonin. The level of melatonin produced is related to the amount of exposure you have had to bright sunshine the previous day; the less bright light exposure the lower your melatonin levels.
Melatonin is a hormone that helps you sleep and radically decreases your risk of cancer. There are many studies on this powerful association. The more your sleep is disrupted by light pollution, the lower your melatonin levels and the greater your risk of developing cancer becomes.
Melatonin is secreted primarily in your brain and at night it triggers a host of biochemical activities, including a nocturnal reduction in your body's estrogen levels. It's thought that chronically decreasing your melatonin production at night -- as occurs when you're exposed to nighttime light -- increases your risk of developing cancer.
In fact, one of the first studies linking cancer to light showed that blind women have a 36 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to sighted women. Why? Because they are unreceptive to light. This means that their bodies maintain high melatonin levels at night regardless of how much light is in the room.
If you have to use a light at night, you should only use a red light or nightlight as that is the wavelength that will have virtually no influence on your pituitary gland to produce melatonin. When you are exposed to any other color at night your melatonin levels will drop like a rock and if this occurs regularly it will increase your risk of cancer.
And for those who have to use a computer after nightfall,I found this little (free) program, that is adapting the screen "temperature" after the sun goes down. It gradually shifts the screen color away from blue towards red, as the blue color simulates "daylight" whereas red does this to a lesser extent. It's called Flux and can be found here:
_http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/
It's a bit weird at the start, as the color looks quite unnatural, but after a little while you adapt. And it seems to me to be more relaxing on the eyes. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
They also have a page with a collection of some articles about sleep research:
_http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/research.html
Will definitely get the book onto my wish-list/ book pile (which is ever growing taller!)
WEIRD!!!
Just tried to post this and the Cass website was totally unresponsive!
Switched a "anonymiser" service on - et voila, back in business!?!
![Embarrassed :-[ :-[](/forum/styles/cass/smilies/embarrassed.gif)
![Embarrassed :-[ :-[](/forum/styles/cass/smilies/embarrassed.gif)
![Embarrassed :-[ :-[](/forum/styles/cass/smilies/embarrassed.gif)