Lights off, eyes closed: A new study has analyzed how high amounts of light at night affect sleep, physical activity and mental health.
Researchers from Australia’s Monash University examined data from the UK biobank of around 87,000 people and found that the risk of mental health disorders such as anxiety, bipolar disorder and self-harm increases when people are exposed to more light at night.
The results of the study have been published in the journal “Nature Mental Health”. People exposed to a lot of light at night had a 30 percent increase in their risk of depression. However, for people exposed to light only during the day, the risk dropped by 20 percent.
The research suggests that mental illness can be reduced by a simple exercise. “Our results could have enormous implications for society,” says study leader Prof. Sean Cain. “Once people understand that their exposure to light has a strong impact on their mental health, they can take some simple steps to optimize their well-being.” (cst)
Source: Watson
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