Dr.Alok Purohit (PhD), Health Coach, Diabetes & Obesity educator

The human body is designed to function in a natural light and dark cycle known as the circadian rhythm. This natural cycle governs many essential functions, such as sleep, metabolism, and hormone regulation. However, in today’s modern world, our exposure to artificial light has increased dramatically, particularly due to the use of electronic devices, which emit blue light that can disrupt our circadian rhythm. This essay will explore the role of exposure to light for long hours in disturbing the circadian rhythm, and its implications for health.

Exposure to light can impact our circadian rhythm in several ways. Firstly, the light signals received by the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) can disrupt the production of the hormone melatonin, which is responsible for regulating sleep-wake cycles. Exposure to light at night can suppress the production of melatonin, leading to difficulty falling asleep, and a disrupted sleep cycle. Secondly, exposure to light can also affect the body’s metabolism, increasing the risk of weight gain and other metabolic disorders. This is because light exposure can alter the expression of genes involved in energy metabolism, leading to a disruption of metabolic processes.

There is substantial evidence to support the link between exposure to light and the disruption of circadian rhythm. A study conducted by Hatori et al. (2017) found that exposure to artificial light at night suppressed melatonin secretion in mice, leading to a disturbance in the circadian rhythm. Similarly, a study by Opperhuizen et al. (2020) found that exposure to blue-enriched light, commonly emitted by electronic devices, at night resulted in significant disruptions to the sleep-wake cycle in humans. Other studies have also demonstrated that exposure to light can have detrimental effects on metabolic function, increasing the risk of metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes (McFadden et al., 2017).

The implications of exposure to light for long hours and its impact on circadian rhythm have significant implications for health. Poor sleep quality and a disrupted circadian rhythm have been linked to a range of health problems, including an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular disease (Yan et al., 2020). Furthermore, disruptions to metabolic function caused by light exposure may increase the risk of metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Exposure to light for long hours, particularly at night, can significantly impact our circadian rhythm, leading to sleep disturbances and metabolic dysfunction. The increasing use of electronic devices and artificial lighting in our modern society means that exposure to light is now a significant health concern. It is, therefore, essential to be aware of the potential effects of light exposure on our circadian rhythm and to take steps to minimize our exposure to artificial light when possible, such as using blue-light blocking glasses or reducing screen time before bed.

Visit https://www.alokpurohit.com/  and/or write to us on alokpurohit.com@gmail.com for once in a lifetime, personalized health and life coaching which can help you learn more about your lifestyle conditions, reduce stress and anxiety through non medicinal, preventive/corrective lifestyle interventions.

References:

Hatori, M., Gronfier, C., Van Gelder, R. N., Bernstein, P. S., Carreras, J., Panda, S., … & Tsubota, K. (2017). Global rise of potential health hazards caused by blue light-induced circadian disruption in modern aging societies. npj Aging and Mechanisms of Disease, 3(1), 1-3.

McFadden, E., Jones, M. E., Schoemaker, M. J., Ashworth, A., & Swerdlow, A. J. (2017). The relationship between obesity and exposure to light at night: cross-sectional analyses of over 100,000 women in the Breakthrough Generations Study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 186(1), 72-79.

Opperhuizen, A. L., Wassing, R., van der Spek, R. D., van der Me