Light at Night is UNHEALTHY

On June 21 this year no less than the AMA House of Delegates voted to adopt policies based on a report by Richard Stevens, an epidemiologist at U. Connecticut, “Light Pollution: Adverse Health Effects of Nighttime Lighting.”

Night light strikingly alters circadian rhythms that control a wide variety of hormones! Furthermore, artificial light is “a man-made self-experiment” that throws sleep out of whack. Excessive light at night — including light from TVs and computers — can cause sleep disorders, especially in children and adolescents—and breast cancer! Probably others as well.

Of course, the AMA and government have been trying for 60 years to cut smoking, and after millions of dollars the incidence has been cut by 50%. Here is a major place for INDIVIDUALS to take control of their health. We are programmed to go to bed with dark and get up with light. One of Franklin’s best quips is the “Early to bed and early to rise makes one healthy, healthy and wise.” Incidentally, it also adds an average of 5 years of longevity! Fortunately, I go to bed by 9 PM and get up around 5 AM–some artificial light but very little!? And I do not watch TV an hour a week!

But if you don’t care about longevity, how about health?? We know that less than 7 or 8 hour of sleep leads to depression and obesity and all the accompanying diseases.

Incidentally, you bedroom should have no light other than a red LED clock kept 12 or more beet away from your head! And no other electronic devices anywhere near your head!