Light pollution at night may up insomnia risk in elderly

Increased exposure to artificial or outdoor light, referred to as light pollution, at night can significantly raise the risk of developing insomnia in older adults, say researchers.

The study, showed a strong correlation between increased levels of night-time lighting and the number of prescriptions for hypnotic drugs also known as sleeping pills.

In addition, older adults exposed to higher levels of outdoor light pollution at night were more likely to use hypnotic drugs for longer periods or receive higher doses daily.

“This study observed a significant association between the intensity of outdoor, artificial, night-time lighting and the prevalence of insomnia as indicated by hypnotic agent prescriptions for older adults,” said the Prof.

“Our results support the data that outdoor, artificial, night-time light could be linked to sleep deprivation among those inside the house,” he added.

According to the doctors, insomnia can involve struggling to fall asleep, having trouble maintaining sleep, or waking up too early.
A variety of environmental factors including excessive noise or light and extreme temperatures will disrupt the sleep of most individuals.

Light pollution has emerged as a novel environmental factor linked to human health. Studies have also showed that artificial night-time lighting, whether indoor or outdoor, induces disruption of circadian rhythms, potentially leading to metabolic and chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, obesity and depression.

For the study, the team included 52,027 adults aged 60 years or older among which about 60 per cent of the participants were female.

The Prof. added that while public health officials seem to be less concerned with light pollution than with other environmental pollutants, this study strengthens the potential link between light pollution and adverse health consequences.

More studies and public policy initiatives are needed to define and minimise the adverse effects of light pollution on human health, the researchers noted.

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Morning light exposure may cause weight gain in kids

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Young children who are exposed to more light earlier in the day tend to weigh more, according to a world-first study.

The study also linked increased light exposure, including light given off by tablets, mobile phones, night lights, and television, to higher risk of obesity in children.

Researchers studied 48 children aged three to five from six Brisbane childcare centres over a two week period, measuring each child's sleep, activity and light exposure along with their height and weight to calculate their body mass index (BMI).

"We found moderate intensity light exposure earlier in the day was associated with increased BMI while children who received their biggest dose of light - outdoors and indoors - in the afternoon were slimmer," said Cassandra Pattinson, a PhD student at Queensland University of Technology in Australia.

"Surprisingly physical activity was not associated with the body mass of the children but sleep timing and light exposure was," Pattinson said.

"This is the first time light has been shown to contribute to weight in children," she said.

"With an estimated 42 million children around the globe under the age of five being classified as overweight or obese, it is a significant breakthrough and a world-first," she said.

"Thanks to artificial lighting, including light given off by tablets, mobile phones, night lights, and television, modern children are exposed to more environmental light than any previous generation. This increase in light exposure has parallelled global increases in obesity," she said.

Pattinson said it is known the timing, intensity and duration of exposure to both artificial and natural light have acute biological effects in mammals.

"The circadian clock - also known as the internal body clock - is largely driven by our exposure to light and the timing of when that happens. It impacts on sleep patterns, weight gain or loss, hormonal changes and our mood," Pattinson said.

"Recent research in adults suggests exposure to light later in the day is associated with increased body mass, but no studies had investigated these effects in young children and it turns out it has the opposite effect," Pattinson said.

"While adults who take in more morning light are slimmer, pre-school children exposed to morning light tend to be heavier," she said.

"Factors that impact on obesity include calorie intake, decreased physical activity, short sleep duration, and variable sleep timing. Now light can be added to the mix," Pattinson said.