Light At Night and Your Health
Modern living has seriously impacted our body’s activity and repair cycle. Indoor lighting is much dimmer than sunlight, and has a different color spectrum than natural light, failing to meet our daytime light needs while being too bright for our nighttime requirement for darkness. Melatonin production is especially sensitive to blue and green light, which has been rapidly increasing in our night time environment from fluorescent and LED lighting and computer and phone screens. The consequences of our disrupted and shortened repair cycle range from insomnia and children who can’t get to sleep at night to depression, cancer, (especially breast and prostate cancer) and all types of degenerative illnesses and chronic infections. There is also a very likely link between unhealthy light exposure and ADHD and autism.
What to do?
1) Get sunlight during the day
2) Shield from outdoor light pollution while sleeping. Do not use nightlights in bedrooms; never leave computer or television screens or any lights on overnight.
3) Change electric light bulbs to low light and low blue and green light. Keep LED lights <350 lumens and less than 2300 K color temperature. Only use one light bulb per room or area. Our tested and approved light bulbs are: Feit electronic LED 2000K, 125 lumens; best choice, available at Home Depot. Other approved lights, available on Amazon: Phillips LED, 2000K, 350 lumens ; Westinghouse amber incandescent party light, 25 Watts; Zoostliss mini salt lamp night light, can be used for evening room lighting but do not use overnight. Nite Nite light bulb close runner up.
4) Optimal: use beeswax candle or olive oil lamps. See Lehman’s olive oil lamp for an excellent example of a good lamp with a well recessed flame. Olive oil is cheaper and safer than beeswax. Never use candles with a metallic wick, which may contain lead.
5) Avoid screens after sundown; if must use download night light filters. Use blue shielding glasses if no other options. Do not use these glasses outside during the day, however!
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For more information please go to Dr. Karen Felzer’s website: https://illuminatinghealthusa.com/