Certain light elements nestled in our electrical objects and appliances can disrupt our rhythm and have a detrimental effect on our sleep, especially if they are close to the bed. Avoid when possible.
Alarm clock, devices charging, television… Many everyday objects today are equipped with a light point (a green, red, blue LED, sometimes flashing) which gives an indication of their capacity (in standby, in charging, plugged in…). But this light pollution annoys more than one sleeper, who is unable to fall asleep deeply. Can we (and should we) do without these witnesses to get a good night’s sleep, or is it in our heads?
Light indicators that disrupt our ancestral system
Can a simple indicator light (but sometimes very bright) really ruin your nights? Well, yeah. The fault lies with a well-established natural system, based on the day/night alternation that reigns on the Earth. So for thousands of years, the daily darkness of night naturally signaled to humans that it was time to go to sleep. This is an evolutionary principle hardwired into our brains. A principle blocked by a simple light, which today can multiply thanks to what we have in the room: telephone, computer, battery charger, television, air conditioning… And which multiplies tenfold around you if you live in a studio.
“Exposure to light at night is a completely unnatural and alien experience,” already declared in 2013 Steven Lockley, neuroscientist in the division of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, in the book “The End of Night”, which explores the effects of artificial light.
But this intake of light is not only harmful to good restorative sleep. According to a study carried out by the American University Northwestern in 2022, the long-term risks would be more serious: “A single night of exposure to moderate ambient lighting during sleep can impair blood sugar and cardiovascular regulation, which are risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. she specified in her conclusions.
Consult a doctor online for your sleep problems
Promote darkness to get back to sleep
If you are easily annoyed by these little lights around you, you should try to eliminate them, for your own well-being. Interviewed by CNN in an article on the subject, Kyle Moschen, a 27-year-old worker suffering from this nuisance, explains that he made choices.
- Eliminate light pollution when possible (unplug or move the offending device away from your bed);
- Sleep with a night mask;
- And finally place pieces of dark adhesive directly on the indicator lights to finally put an end to it.
However, it is far from being the only one: the new problem of these invasive LEDs seems so common that adhesive covers intended for this purpose are sold on Amazon.
