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Sleep is crucial for your mind, body and overall well-being for several reasons. It plays a critical role in cognitive functions such as memory, learning, problem-solving, and emotional regulation. It also enables the body to repair and regenerate tissues, build muscle, and synthesise proteins. However, several factors can affect the quality and quantity of sleep you get. While factors like caffeine consumption, blue light exposure and frequent napping are known to affect sleep patterns, your ceiling light may also play a role.
"That bright white LED light above your head may be one reason you're not sleeping well. And no, I'm not talking about your mobile phone. I'm talking about your ceiling lights," highlights Dr. Arun L. Naik, an AIIMS-trained neurosurgeon in an Instagram video.
Light can significantly disrupt sleep patterns primarily through its effect on the circadian rhythm, which is our body's internal clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. This rhythm is influenced largely by exposure to light, especially blue light emitted by devices such as smartphones, tablets, and LED lights.
"Your brain has a master body clock that primarily senses time through the light that enters your eyes. Bright, cool white light, particularly blue-enriched light in the evening, signals to your brain that it is still daytime, which keeps you awake. This can delay the natural rise of melatonin and push your sleep time later. Many people make a mistake in this regard; they may activate night mode on their phones but continue to be exposed to bright white ceiling LEDs until 11 PM," Dr. Naik added.
1. Melatonin suppression
Your brain naturally secretes melatonin, the hormone responsible for inducing drowsiness and signalling that it is time to sleep, in response to darkness. Exposure to standard room light before bedtime suppresses melatonin synthesis.
2. Circadian rhythm disruption
Your circadian rhythm is highly sensitive to environmental light. Light coming from above hits the lower part of your retina, which is biologically calibrated to detect daylight. This exposure activates the nervous system, boosting alertness, raising your heart rate, and elevating cortisol levels precisely when your body should be cooling down.
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3. Destruction of deep sleep
Even if you manage to fall asleep with a ceiling light on, or if light leaks into your room, the disruption continues through closed eyelids. Continuous light exposure forces the brain into a shallower, fragmented sleep state, making it difficult to reach or sustain deep REM and slow-wave sleep stages.
4. Downstream health impacts
Chronically disrupting your sleep-wake cycles with nighttime light exposure does more than cause daytime grogginess. Poor sleep is linked with an increased risk of elevated heart rate, increased inflammation, weight gain and increased risk of type-2 diabetes.
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What should you do?
"About 2 to 3 hours before bedtime, begin to set your home to sunset mode. Turn off unnecessary bright overhead lights and instead use dim, warm lights with a colour temperature between 2200 and 2700 Kelvin. Whenever possible, keep the light sources lower than eye level. For your bathroom at night, opt for a dim amber light instead of switching on bright ceiling LEDs. Remember this simple guideline: bright mornings, dim evenings, and nights."
"LEDs themselves aren't the problem; rather, it's the bright light at the wrong biological time. If you're struggling with insomnia, before asking which medication to take, first consider what your home environment is signalling to your brain at night," Dr. Naik concluded.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.