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Can a Night Light Make You Fat?
caught this in Bottom Line's Daily Health News (a registered trademark of Boardroom, Inc.) and, firmly believing in the connection between light and health, wanted to share it with all of you:
Falling asleep to the glow of a muted bedroom TV or night-light is a common practice that seems benign... but it might be making you fat! Researchers at Ohio State University (Columbus) compared a group of juvenile mice that spent their eight nighttime hours in dim light (the equivalent of having a TV on in a dark room) with a group on a normal dark-night schedule. After just one week, mice from the slight-light environment had gained much more weight -- and the extra weight piled on so fast that at the end of the eight-week study the mice that had slept in dim light had gained 50% more than those kept in nighttime darkness. Glucose tolerance (related to, and a common companion of, insulin resistance) was impaired in the light-at-night group as well.
A CIRCADIAN UPSET
Laura K. Fonken, a graduate research associate in the school’s department of neuroscience and psychology, filled me in on the findings, which were recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. She speculated that dim light at night may have disrupted the normal circadian clock in the mice, affecting the genes that prepare the body for predictable events, including eating. She said that the dim-light mice did not ingest more calories than the other mice, nor did they become less active -- the problem was a result of eating more frequently at times when they were normally inactive, when their metabolisms burned fuel less efficiently. In a second experiment, the researchers withdrew access to food during inactive periods. The mice took in the same amount of daily calories overall, and this time the mice in a dim-light group did not gain weight.
While rodents are nocturnal and humans are not, Fonken told me that light affects both species similarly, which is why the study findings have implications for us. We know, for instance, that there is a correlation between shift work and higher body mass index. It may be because their schedules make it necessary for shift workers to eat when their metabolisms are at low points. But, said Fonken, it also may be that low light at night triggers the desire to eat at off-hour times -- which would also explain people’s propensity to reach for after-dinner snacks in front of the TV or to get up during the night to eat. At present, these are merely hypotheses, she said, further research is needed.
In the meantime, for our own bedtimes, Fonken advises turning off the TV, the computer and the light in the bathroom and avoiding night-lights and lighted clock radios. A darkened room may indeed dampen the desire to eat at the wrong times, and it may come with a bonus as well -- better rest.
Source(s):
Laura K. Fonken, BS, graduate research associate, department of neuroscience and psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus.
Views: 326
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by 99 on
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you can reset the circadian clock by shining a very bright light onto the back of the knees
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Permalink Reply by Richard Neider on
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I think it is crazy to blame a 'ligth on' caused you to get up from your sleep and eat. People, you need to take responsibility for your actions and not blame a nitelite. Mice are not humans and can not think like humans so how you can compare? I have slept with nite lites, cpap machine, digital clocks all my life and never once did I have to get up and eat because one of them was on.
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Permalink Reply by Gary R. Munn on
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Makes sense to me. Doctors also recommend sleeping in a cool very dark room, and sleeping naked!! No, I didn't make this up!! :)
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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I think you guys are missing the point. Just as apneas do a light source can cause an arousal. If there are enough arousals it will cause a rise in cortisol and a leptin imbalance. It has been verified by many sources that this process will cause a person to crave food. Many people go years without knowing the root of their sleep problem. For most it is apnea. For a great many people it is sleep hygeine and the sleep environment.
In the context of this article making light of the situation is almost as bad as laughing at snoring. To completely understand the nature of apnea you must educate yourself on the science of sleep.
Richard Neider said:
I think it is crazy to blame a 'ligth on' caused you to get up from your sleep and eat. People, you need to take responsibility for your actions and not blame a nitelite. Mice are not humans and can not think like humans so how you can compare? I have slept with nite lites, cpap machine, digital clocks all my life and never once did I have to get up and eat because one of them was on.
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It's the ice cream. :~)
Rock Hinkle said:
I think you guys are missing the point. Just as apneas do a light source can cause an arousal. If there are enough arousals it will cause a rise in cortisol and a leptin imbalance. It has been verified by many sources that this process will cause a person to crave food. Many people go years without knowing the root of their sleep problem. For most it is apnea. For a great many people it is sleep hygeine and the sleep environment.
In the context of this article making light of the situation is almost as bad as laughing at snoring. To completely understand the nature of apnea you must educate yourself on the science of sleep.
Richard Neider said:
I think it is crazy to blame a 'ligth on' caused you to get up from your sleep and eat. People, you need to take responsibility for your actions and not blame a nitelite. Mice are not humans and can not think like humans so how you can compare? I have slept with nite lites, cpap machine, digital clocks all my life and never once did I have to get up and eat because one of them was on.
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Hi Doctor Eng, " A study was shown that melatonin level still drops immediately after a flashlight was shown on a sleeping person's toe in a dark room even after a few seconds." Please give more information on this study .Were they blindfolded ? Were the people disturded by sounds of foot steps? Those who are blind have other sences that heighten .How does the toe detect light? Good Sleep,Chris
Dr Eng said:
In general, it is definitely better to follow mother nature's schedule. Go to sleep when it's dark and get up when it's bright and don't use artificial lights or anything that emits light at a time when you should be sleeping. However, in our modern society it's not always practical so for those of us who need the night lights on for safety, use red light like those used in the dark room. Red light does not interfere with the Cirrcadian rhythm and therefore does not mess with the hormones that are affected by light such as melatonin. Those of us who use masks to block out the light are still affected. A study was shown that melatonin level still drops immediately after a flashlight was shown on a sleeping person's toe in a dark room even after a few seconds. So, if you must get up during sleeping hours, do not get exposed to any color light other than red light. There are red night lights available albeit few.
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That was my immediate question after reading this article.. seems so absurd to me
chris h said:
Hi Doctor Eng, " A study was shown that melatonin level still drops immediately after a flashlight was shown on a sleeping person's toe in a dark room even after a few seconds." Please give more information on this study .Were they blindfolded ? Were the people disturded by sounds of foot steps? Those who are blind have other sences that heighten .How does the toe detect light? Good Sleep,Chris
Dr Eng said:
In general, it is definitely better to follow mother nature's schedule. Go to sleep when it's dark and get up when it's bright and don't use artificial lights or anything that emits light at a time when you should be sleeping. However, in our modern society it's not always practical so for those of us who need the night lights on for safety, use red light like those used in the dark room. Red light does not interfere with the Cirrcadian rhythm and therefore does not mess with the hormones that are affected by light such as melatonin. Those of us who use masks to block out the light are still affected. A study was shown that melatonin level still drops immediately after a flashlight was shown on a sleeping person's toe in a dark room even after a few seconds. So, if you must get up during sleeping hours, do not get exposed to any color light other than red light. There are red night lights available albeit few.
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Hi 99, What does knee light do to make this happen? Is their pressure applied ? Is their heat? Is their an adrenal spike do to somebody shining a light where it doesnt necessarly shine ? I know my bp would increase if someone shined a bright light on me. Just trying to figure this out ,Please explain.Good Sleep Chris
99 said:you can reset the circadian clock by shining a very bright light onto the back of the knees
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