Sleeping with the lights off is not news. Apparently, lights affect the health of our bodies. Sleeping with the lights on can inhibit the production of the hormone melatonin, the one that encourages sleep. Even if we close our eyes, exposure to light detected by the brain will confuse the body, and as a result, there’s not much melatonin produced. Other dangers of being exposed to light overnight also trigger depression and even the risk of cancer.
If you really need a source of light to help you sleep, use night light and pay attention to the color of the light bulb. Color of the bulb can affect the overall health of the body, and each color gives a different effect.
Blue is the worst of any color for sleep, especially because of its influence on your mood, white is not that big a difference. Red actually does not have a negative impact on health. Doctor Michael Grandner, a member of the Sleep Medicinal Behavior Program at the University of Pennsylvania stated that red and orange are the best colors for sleep.
“Reddish, yellowish, and orangeish are the right ones to help you sleep because these three colors are used by the eyes to signal night time. While the daytime is signified by the light of bluish color and greenness,” Dr. Grandner explained.
Another option is to turn on the bathroom lights (or put the nightlight in the bathroom) instead. You still get adequate lighting and are not worried about health risks because you are not exposed to light overnight.
