If you often sleep with a television on in your bedroom, you could be setting yourself up for sleep difficulties, mood disorders, and even depression. That is the conclusion of a recent study documented in Live Science.
The Research Study And Results
Scientists from The Ohio State University put hamsters in different environments with a variety of lighting conditions. After eight weeks of sleeping in those conditions, the hamsters were tested for different behaviors. Researchers found that the hamsters that had some light at night showed a response similar to depression, and had some modifications in the hippocampus area of the brain.
Researchers say that the same mechanism could be affecting people, which means that you should avoid falling asleep with the television on, and minimize any sort of light exposure while you are sleeping.
How These Results Can Affect You
Sleeping in total darkness is recommended for the highest quality sleep. Even a dim nightlight in the corner can lead to the type of brain changes, which were observed in the hamsters. This can lead to a condition where you no longer feel pleasure as you normally do, and it can lead into depression.
Examine your bedroom for any sources of "light pollution," which interferes with having complete darkness. Light streaming in and around the corners of your curtains, a light on your computer or power strip that is always on, or even the glowing digits on your alarm clock can all impact your sleep. Having a television set on all night long would provide more light pollution than all of those combined.
Other studies have found evidence of the negative effects of light pollution too. It can interfere with bird migration paths and the behavior of sea turtles. It causes problems for the communication of fireflies and glowworms. Nighttime lights can even disrupt frog-mating activities.
Your Sleep Cycles And Melatonin
Humans used to live largely by natural rhythms, rising when the sun came up, and going to sleep when it got dark. Now we have electric light technology, which lets us stay up any time we like, so we are no longer tied to the natural cycles. Most people no longer have a consistent sleep schedule now. They may get up and go to bed at different times each day, which leaves them in a perpetual state similar to jet lag.
Melatonin is an important hormone, which is secreted in the brain at night. It is triggered by darkness. Melatonin is related to serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that is important in boosting your mood.
This connection could explain why light pollution at night disrupts your sleep pattern, and leaves you feeling grumpy and out of sorts in the morning. Insufficient production of melatonin can lead to blood pressure issues, higher risk of osteoporosis, accelerated growth of some cancer tumors, lessened immune functions, diabetic capillary damage, and more plaque in the brain, like that seen with alzheimer's disease and dementia. In fact, lack of adequate sleep has even been linked to accelerated aging and a shorter lifespan.
Other studies, such as one done by the Oregon Health and Science University in 2006, showed that melatonin levels help to control mood swings, such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or depression. With the evidence stacking up, it looks like you will be both healthier and happier if you turn off the TV before going to bed.