Lights out, it's bedtime!

Most people are familiar with the idea that light affects sleeping habits. Why you ask? Melatonin is the chemical that the body releases to help put you to sleep. Darkness triggers the release of melatonin. When we keep lights on after dark, our body naturally withholds this melatonin. This is why you may toss and turn when watching TV in the dark before bed.

In this day and age it is not uncommon for your average worker to spend between 6 and 10 hours in front of a computer. If this is you, how do you spend your time after work? Do you go home and message friends on Facebook? Or do you catch up on your favorite TV shows? Or maybe you assemble models under the light of a 60 watt bulb. Most of us could easy spend a majority of our day under the influence of artificial light. Does this further slow the release of melatonin? Does it have other negative effects?

Further research shows that lighting negatively affects stress, poor health, and reduced lifespan. Artificial light also has negative affects on animals in the wild. So what can we do?

As I was thinking about this I made a list of things I could do in my own life:

• Find work activities away from the computer
• Utilize natural light instead of artificial light
• Spend more time outside when the weather permits: eating al fresco sounds good!
  
• Watch less TV: I've been following the NBA playoffs by listening to the games on the radio
  
• Go to sleep earlier in the winter time

How can you minimize your use of artificial light? See if you can come up with 1 or 2 things that you can do in your regular routine to get your body back in tune with its natural cycle. You may miss out on a few of your regular activities, but the positive effects of a good night's sleep will more than make up for it!