It’s that time again. The clocks have turned back and many of us are reaching for SAD lamps, vitamin D supplements, and carb-heavy one-pots to get us through the long, dark winter nights. But perhaps there is another way to welcome the change of seasons.

What happens if you embrace the darkness? Darkness at the right time and in the right amount helps our bodies rest and heal, optimizes cognition and mental health, and lowers the risk of various diseases.

That’s because our circadian rhythm, or internal body clock, is triggered not only by light, but also by the lack of light. “To optimize your sleep, you need to make it as dark as possible and have as few distractions as possible,” he says. Professor Victoria RevellHe researches circadian physiology at the Surrey Sleep Research Center.

“We know that constantly disrupted sleep impacts health. It’s associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, increased cancer risk, and more.”

In 2022, researchers at Northwestern University discovered: Exposure to even moderate light during sleep can negatively impact cardiovascular function (Light stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, increases morning heart rate, and causes insulin resistance).

In another study at Harvard University, blood sugar levels rise When exposed to light at night. Artificial sources of blue light, such as smartphones and similar devices, are thought to have the same stimulating effect on our bodies as sunlight.

Research on this is still inconclusive, but in one 2017 study, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder took groups of volunteers away from city lights and camping without smartphones or flashlights. I went. The only additional lighting allowed was a campfire.

As a result of the research, Camping trip 'reset' volunteers' biological clocks, people sleep and wake up according to their circadian rhythms. Like many animals, humans' natural sleep-wake cycle evolved in sync with our day and night patterns.

And just as morning light stimulates alertness and supports immune function and mental health, your body also responds to darkness. (For example, melatonin, also known as the Dracula hormone) is produced by the pineal gland in direct response to darkness.

In a Colorado study, campers started producing melatonin two hours earlier. “Melatonin is involved in opening the 'sleep gate,'” Revell says. “It's the beginning of the process of relaxing and preparing for sleep.” It’s also the subject of research into a variety of health conditions.

Although the picture is incomplete, higher levels of melatonin are associated with a lower risk of heart disease and certain cancers. If you suffer from a lack of darkness, switching to permanent dark mode is also not a solution.

Studies have shown that night shift workers and people confined to darkness are at higher risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. In other words, we need both light and darkness, and we need them at the right time.

Some researchers say the solution is a kind of “paleoillumination” – living like our ancestors by making the most of sunlight during the day and keeping it dark at night. suggests. As night approaches, how about a lightbulb moment?

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