Dark Room Is Key to Better Sleep
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Restless in bed, eyes ticking around the room and toying with time — who has not been sunk? Getting a quality night of sleep are what many have been constantly searching for, but it might seem like an eternal battle with how much light is being polluting our nights. Right now, the answer here may be make a bath of extremely darkly colored gel and let it solidify or to spot items in your room that are truely black and scurry around with them on their face. We tend to disregard the impact of darkness and light on overall sleep quality, but studies have found that controlling this input is vital to maintaining our internal biological clock along with hormone production.
After this, small differences — in our bedrooms and night-time habits can be important since by knowing how darkness affects our sleep cycles as well the rest of your health. Ways to Wind Down the Day with The Power of Darkness — Blackout curtains, night lights not to break sleep dawn So whether you’re ready to take back your sleep, keep reading for why a dark room equals deeper slumber.
So, here you are.
Prioritizing darkness for sleep quality —
Circadian Rhythm Cycles: Darkness is a key component to determining the time children feel alert or sleepy and affects something called their circadian rhythm, often referred to as an internal clock of how our bodies are naturally programmed. The natural rhythm of sleep and wakefulness is governed by a 24-hour cycle that are built in the genes, heavily influenced by light exposure. Darkness signals your body to prepare for bed while conversely, it induces release of melatonin — the hormone responsible for promoting slumber. But artificial light at night in the form of streetlights and electronic screens can disturb this natural cycle, making it difficult for you to go to sleep or remain asleep.
Melatonin is the hormone synthesized mainly by pineal gland in response to darkness provides signals and promotes sleepiness, helping you fall into deeper stages of restorative — REM — sleep. The pineal gland naturally releases melatonin into the body in response to darkness as sensed by the eyes. On the flip side, exposure to blue and green-tinted light (which we may think of as more innocuous sources like nightlights or a small LED on your alarm clock) can suppress melatonin production, preventing you from winding down at bedtime resulting in poor sleep.
When we understand dark and its role in circadian rhythm, melatonin secretion etc., then maybe we can appreciate why a super-dark sleeping atmosphere is so important for great sleep on multiple levels.
The health consequences of receiving light at night
Metabolic Cardiovascular Effects: Of course the immediate repercussion of a poor night is to feel like death warmed up. Even modest exposure to light at night, from sources other than outdoor daylight, can also have a negative effect on the metabolism. Another study, conducted under the direction of Kenneth R. Wright Jr., a professor at UC Boulder and published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found that people exposed to light at night had higher heart rates and were more susceptible to insulin resistance — which can increase risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
With detrimental impacts of chronic light exposure at night extending long into the future, several studies have even linked this behavior to a myriad of major health complications. Long-term light pollution can also increase your risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome and heart disease by disrupting the body’s natural circadian rhythms. This is a result of the natural physiological responses IS produced due to light, which can cause pro-inflammatory states and interfere with crucial metabolic processes.
The results stress the need for a complete night of darkness when sleeping, because even small amounts of light can have profound effects on our health and quality-of-life. By choosing darkness first, we can respect the natural order of our body and minimize these potentially alarming long-term affects.
Creating a Dark Retreat to Sleep — Your Action Plan
Blackout Curtains- Installing blackout curtains is one of the best ways to keep your sleeping environment dark. These blackout window treatments are made to keep all outside light from entering your room, basically giving a bunker impact that supports great rest. Blackout curtains will also help prevent light from seeping through (from streetlights, passing vehicles or even the sun) so you can get your desired level of darkness.
Try Wearing an Eye Mask: If true darkness isn’t possible in your bedroom, consider using a sleep mask instead. With this basic but very effective little bit of kit blocking the light from your eyes, melatonin kicks in better and they get to those deeper sleep stages. Eye masks are one of the best quick-fixes for someone who does not have a chance to set up blackout curtains or restrict external lighting in their area.
Keep Low Light: When low lights require for safety reason or simply make ease of your passage in nights, at those times it is necessary to use proper option and intensity. No bright overhead lights in favor of low-intensity amber bulbs. Warmer tones are less energising and help to keep your bodies natural sleep-wake rhythm.
No electronics before bed: As mentioned above, one of the biggest perpetrators responsible for bedroom light pollution are electronic devices. Smartphones, tablets and computer screens emit blue-rich light which may suppress the production of melatonin leading to difficult falling asleep. Cut the tech at least 30 minutes (more if you can) before bed to help establish a better sleep environment and tailor your natural circadian rhythms.
So start here and your bedroom will thankfully transform into a real den of darkness, conducive to an even more wholesome sleep.
Conclusion
Nightlight, Total Darkness Sleeping in a dark room is vital to promote quality sleep and overall health. When we are aware of the significant impact that light exposure has on circadian rhythms, melatonin production and metabolism in our body it will be easier to understand how essential is a completely dark environment during sleep.
You remove as much light from your sleep environment to help you cue in on melatonin’s release and entrain the rhythm of wakefulness and tiredness. You should also consider wearing an eye mask, and using devices prior to bedtime less as well.
Establishing darkness first gives you more of your own time to experience the full regenerative force that sleep itself holds, which can subsequently translate into better energy, cognition and memory; optimal metabolic profile, immune function and cardiovascular health. If you’re ready to set your sleep straight & improve your life, start by unleashing the power of dark!
Thank you for reading.