We have to sleep in the darkand anyway without artificial lights: a research, conducted by Randy J. Nelson from the Virginia University (USA) and that has combined previous works on the topic, shows that the damage derived from sleeping with the light on goes well beyond the simple sleep disturbance, revealing profound effects on physiological processes Evolved over millions of years to work in synchrony with natural light-brui cycles.
The main impact areas identified even include the Dysfunction of the immune systemin which exposure to light in inappropriate moments can suppress the typical immune responses or trigger excessive inflammation, but also clear bonds between the alteration of the circadian rhythms and metabolic disorderswith possible repercussions also on the tendency to obesity.
And it does not end here: in fact the study highlights Direct effects on mood adjustmentwith implications for understanding depression and anxiety disorders.
It is not the first research that launches the alarm: in 2022 a Work led by the National Institutes of Health of the United States He had shown that sleeping with the light on could be connected to a increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.
From the last investigation it seems that this insane habit can really completely upset the circadian cycleas also happens, due to our cause, to other living species.
The circadian rhythms are a fundamental aspect of biology and much is known about the basic science – explains the researcher – however, little of this basic science has been applied to clinical medicine
And there is even more: according to Nelson, experimental results can vary considerably according to the moment in which studies are conducted, yet this information rarely appears in scientific publications.
For this reason the scientist launched a proposal, provocative perhaps but not so absurd: the recognition of the day as a crucial biological variable.
The answer to an experimental question may depend in part on the hour of the day when the question is asked. This observation has profound implications for the reproducibility of research and could explain why some studies cannot replicate previous results
The work was published on Genomic Press Innovators & Ideas.
Sources: Eurekalert / Genomic Press Innovators & Ideas
