Bright Lights in the Night Affect Weight Loss Efforts

Bright Lights Disrupt Sleep Hormones Evoking Weight Gain

How scared are you of darkness and night time? On a scale of 1-5 if you quote a number that’s above 2 (5 being most scared) then I am sure you are not someone who sleeps in a pitch-dark room without even a small bulb that provides some light to your room. Individuals talk, laugh and act brave in the morning but once its night they undergo radical transformations-some can’t stay alone inside the house. Some can’t sleep alone in their room and some others need a companion even while visiting the restroom!

People are of different kinds-those who cannot sleep with a light on in their room and those who cannot sleep without one! Even during the night when our kids are done watching television there is always a debate on who would off the TV switch. Sometimes we are all either too lazy or too tired that we skip this step and wait for the automatic cut off from the television to help us out. But now we have research published in a reputed journal which shows that sleeping with a television or light in the room might be a risk factor for weight gain/obesity, according to scientists at the National Institute of Health. The research team used data from more than 43,000 women aged between 35 and 74 years with no history of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, daytime sleepiness, shift work or pregnancy. The participants were asked whether they go to sleep with no light, a small nightlight, light outside the room or a light or television on in the room. Weight, height and waist measurements were taken at baseline and at follow-up five years later.

Results varied depending on the answer provided by the participants on the night lamp query: a small nightlight was not linked to weight gain while those women who slept with a light or television on were 17% likelier to have gained 5 kilograms or more during the follow-up period. Having light come from an adjacent room outside had an average effect. Researchers feel that those residing in urban areas are more exposed to street lights, neon signs and likewise which supresses sleep hormone (melatonin) and the natural 24-hour light-dark cycle of circadian rhythm. Day and night exist not without reasons and our bodies are adapted to light during the day and darkness during the night. Being exposed to light during the night disrupts this natural light-darkness cycle changing hormone balance and biological processes such that it raises the risk of health effects such as obesity.
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We are already at a juncture where overweight and obesity love us, junk food is present all around us and laziness has become our best friend. Besides eating a nutritious diet focusing on portion control, working out regularly and leading a healthy lifestyle why don’t we take these small efforts from our end to lose weight faster and efficiently? Get in touch with reputed dieticians and nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com to get yourself a healthy diet plan meeting your body requirements and nutrient needs.