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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: 354
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Donna B. on
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I have fallen asleep to the TV my entire life until I was diagnosed with OSA. I took the TV out of my bedroom in August and removed the nightlight as was suggested. I was told I would sleep better. I have never had a weight problem, I have weighed pretty much the same all of my adult life. Food is something I eat because I have to. I don't think much of this study, comparing mice to humans? hmmmm.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Callahan on
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I have always read that one should sleep in a totally dark room for better sleep (no night light, no alarm clock light, no tv/cable box light, etc).
And I have always read that if one doesn't sleep well, they will put on weight.
So for me this idea of sleeping without a night light makes total sense -- better sleep, better weight.
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Permalink Reply by Sheila Knowles on
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Well I always keep a night light on in my bathroom which the door is near b\my bed. I pull the door almost shut but there is still a little visable light coming through. I think IF I didn't have that on..and got up to go to the bathroom during the night I could possibly fall or trip or something with NO light whatsoever. When you close your eyes to go to sleep it is ..hmm... how can I Put this ?... ~ Dark~. I sleep with the covers snuggled up around my face which also blocks any light. I don't get hungry during the night...I might wake up hungry enough to clear out the fridge..but during the night ..sleep is my objective.
Taking the food away from the mice at night..was the main point in this article for me. Light or not.. a food source eaten during the night when they should be sleeping will put the weight on anyone or anything. I have night lights in both my bathrooms and in my kitchen so anyone who needs to get up in the night can see to get around the house safely. No one has yet gotten up to EAT during the night. And no one in my house has a weight problem. I also use " white sound" ..( fan running in my bedroom for the sound of the motor) to fall asleep at night. If my house was pitch black and completely silent.. i would NEVER fall asleep.
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I tend to agree with you about the light and eating at night-although I do have a weight problem. My problem is due to limited activity because of back & hip arthritis problems. Safety is important, and we, like you, would never fall asleep without the white sound.
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Permalink Reply by Jenny Foerst on
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I think light has everything to do with weight--esp. the ability to lose excess fat. I'm in a pickle because I'm a night owl with really stubborn wake-sleep cycles so oriented. I have resolved many times to fix this problem, but I always backslide. The New Metabolic Effect Diet book contains a whole chapter, as I've mentioned elsewhere, about the importance of 8 to 9 hours of sleep AT NIGHT, not during daylight, for many hormonal processes controlling blood sugar and fat metabolism. I followed the advice for a month and easily lost 13 pounds; I'm now night owling again, and progress has halted even though I'm excercising and eating the same.
I can usually fall asleep easily, but I wake up and sense that my sleep is light. Around 5:30 a.m. I wake up RAVENOUS, stomach growling, blood sugar low. I have to get up and eat something or I cannot get back to sleep. Once I do, my sleep is DEEP . . . and the sun is coming up. I have tried everything I can think of to stop these hunger attacks at night, including eating a protein snack before bed and making sure I get enough during the day. I do have severe reactive hypoglycemia, diagnosed 25 years ago. Anyway, my only New Year's resolution is to get better nighttime sleep. I will try banishing every trace of light. Other suggestions welcome, esp. on the night hunger problem.
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Jenny, regarding feeling ravenous, I found that once I added protein to my breakfast, my hypoglycemia pretty much stopped. I now have cereal and a nice size of chicken for breakfast. When I start the day out right like this, the rest of the day goes pretty smoothly as far as eating. Also found that eating every few hours really helps -- 3 meals a day is a joke for me. I eat breakfast, a snack (protein bar), lunch, a snack (nuts), and dinner, at the minimum.
And I definitely keep my bedroom completely dark. To go to the bathroom when needed, I use a small flashlight that is covered. I use room darkening shades and room darkening drapes as well. I feel like I am in a cocoon. And like others said, also use a white noise machine as every little noise wakes me up -- I am a very light sleeper having had insomnia for over 40 years.
Good luck with your diet and your sleep.
Jenny Foerst said:I can usually fall asleep easily, but I wake up and sense that my sleep is light. Around 5:30 a.m. I wake up RAVENOUS, stomach growling, blood sugar low. I have to get up and eat something or I cannot get back to sleep. Once I do, my sleep is DEEP . . . and the sun is coming up. I have tried everything I can think of to stop these hunger attacks at night, including eating a protein snack before bed and making sure I get enough during the day. I do have severe reactive hypoglycemia, diagnosed 25 years ago. Anyway, my only New Year's resolution is to get better nighttime sleep. I will try banishing every trace of light. Other suggestions welcome, esp. on the night hunger problem.
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Thank you, Mary. I do already eat six small meals a day and start the day with plenty of protein--Omlet, candian bacon, etc. I stay away from sugar and minimize starches per the New Metabolic Diet, the Zone Diet--that sort of thing. I had a dietitian guide me years ago on how to eat to avoid low blood sugar. That's why I'm stumped.
I saw my neurologist today--my migraine neuro, not my sleep neuro--and told him about my waking up hungry and not sleeping well until morning. He immediately said, "Your cortisol is too high at night." But isn't CPAP therapy supposed to take care of that? Which brings me full circle to the fact that I need to insist that my new sleep doctor prescribe a machine that gives me DATA!!! Otherwise, maybe I'm not getting full therapy and that is what is throwing my hormone cycles off.
Thanks, everyone, for these discussions. They help me get more out of my doctors' visits.
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Permalink Reply by Dr Eng on
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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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Very interesting!!! I guess I shouldn't be online up to bedtime, either. And someone ought to tell the night nurses this in the hospital, since my experience has been that they come in every few hours and either slam on the lights or bring a big bright flashlight (if the poor patient is relatively lucky).
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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What's worse, is doing a sleep study. When you should be sleeping in total darkness, they have their lights on. Crazy. And if you need to use the restroom, many times they are down an extremely well-lit hallway. What are they thinking!
Jenny Foerst said:
Very interesting!!! I guess I shouldn't be online up to bedtime, either. And someone ought to tell the night nurses this in the hospital, since my experience has been that they come in every few hours and either slam on the lights or bring a big bright flashlight (if the poor patient is relatively lucky).
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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Permalink Reply by D. W. Conn on
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We nightshift workers are just out of luck....
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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Scientists Pinpoint Link Between Light Signal and Circadian Rhythms
http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/sleep_report/2011-01-12_06.asp
In research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Aziz Sancar, MD, PhD, Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the UNC School of Medicine, and his colleagues have taken an important step in understanding the underlying molecular signals that influence a broad array of biological processes ranging from the sleep-wake cycle to cancer growth and development.
Scientists who work in this field, known as chronobiology, have identified the genes that direct circadian rhythms in people, mice, fruit flies, fungi, and several other organisms. However, the mechanisms by which those genes interact with light in the organism's environment have not been well understood.
About 15 years ago, Sancar discovered a human protein called cryptochrome, which acts as a core component of the molecular clock in mammals. The protein is also found in fruit flies, other insects, and plants.
"Cryptochrome 'resets' the circadian clock, but we were not sure how it worked," said Sancar, who is also a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Using fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), the team purified cryptochrome and developed a biochemical test that shows when and how the protein transmits signals.
"We can now detect the protein at work. When we expose cryptochrome to blue light in fruit flies, a millisecond of light exposure has a half-life during which we can examine the mechanism in the laboratory," said Sancar. "We can follow the molecular signals after light exposure and have a reliable model to test various hypotheses about how light interacts with the circadian systems we know are so important to biological processes."
The research may be useful to scientists who study the circadian clock's relationship to sleep disorders, jet lag, cancer, bipolar disorder, depression, and other diseases.
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