If Darkness Causes Stess, How Should You Set Your Bedroom Light While Asleep?

magnesiumania

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Might make sense. The blue hour before dawn probably helps to ease us into waking up.

Yes blue light is part of the morning spectrum. It switches on the pituetary that secrete some hormones and help set your circadian rythm. But its also balanced with red (green is also part of the morning spectrum of frequencies). Unlike our computers that does not have the antidote which is red (and in addition blue light in computers is 4700K compared to 800K from the sun, K=Kelvin, colourtemperature)
 

magnesiumania

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I realize this comment is over a year and a half old but...... blue light can supposedly be good for sleep if used early in the morning. A high dose of blue light early (or really bright light, like from the sun) is what supposedly makes you more awake and alert. So it can theoretically help, but not directly at bedtime.

Ever been out in the sun all day (like at the beach) and then go home to sleep like a rock that night? That's the concept.

Sunlight helps alot but the beach alsoprovide you with negative charge. Thats primarily why people feel so good on the beachi think. The ground is the negative pole of our battery while the atmosphere is positive.
 
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yerrag

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No, too much darkness. Need some light too... And its too cold in a cave usually.



If you're sleeping soundly, there's little stress. If you're low in sugar, you won't sleep soundly. Stress hormones are produced when low in sugar.
 

magnesiumania

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If you're sleeping soundly, there's little stress. If you're low in sugar, you won't sleep soundly. Stress hormones are produced when low in sugar.


Yeah that why i sometimes take a teaspoon of raw honey before bed....
 

tankasnowgod

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Saying darkness causes stress is ludicrous because Peat's underlying principle beliefs is that anything that reduces energy production is stress. In that case we should try sleep with very bright sunlight-mimicking lights beaming down on us right? Come on now.

Well, you don't appear familiar with the concept of nuance. Why does it have to be mimicking sunlight? What about, I don't know, moonlight? Or starlight? Firelight? Or how about modern options, like infrared? And just because you think something is ludicrous doesn't mean it isn't true.

Humans have lived in many areas of the world each with its own levels of sunlight which even changed seasonally to almost none at all(like Europe especially North Europe). We are not at the mercy of the sun, though we need some our health isnt disabled without it. We dont need to force ourselves to sit in the beaming sun for the sake of health. Its not necessary or should it be obsessed over.

True, and humans have had varying degrees of health in various locations. And they can absolutely come with implications from lack of light.

I honestly think fear of the dark or having issues with sleep/darkness can be also psychological thing. If you have fear/anxiety based off darkness or sleep(through poor sleep experience) then you can become very stressed at night no doubt. Children often fear the dark, this is something that we are supposed to outgrow and conquer. If you are avoiding complete darkness when sleeping that can be a manifestation over the fear of your shadow self. Not everything is purely related to the physical body, the psyche plays a serious role in this.

Very, very few people in history have ever experienced complete darkness. You'd have to be either very, very deep in a cave, or in a totally enclosed room with no artificial light sources. And even seeking out "complete darkness" is a very new phenomenon. Nightlights have been sold for many decades, and blackout shades have only become popular in the last ten years or so, right alongside more energy efficient bulbs, that throw out a lot more blue light than traditional incandescents.
 

tankasnowgod

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Right, now it makes sense. thanks for guidance...

I do get where you are coming from, though. The idea with sleeping with a lot of light doesn't seem all that pleasant, or even possible. But I have been experimenting recently with infrared and some very low light sources (that have very little blue light).
 

magnesiumania

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Im not sure its that easy, as i never feel good if have too much of either. Only with the appropriate amount of each electrolyte i feel like they work synergisticall. But your definitly onto something. I just dont exclude that more factors are involved.
 
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Also was wondering, are blackout curtains TOO dark for sleep? Might they add extra stress but at the same time have the benefit of deeper sleep? Or do we need that bit of light coming from the moon to not overly stress the system while sleeping.
 

haidut

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In Aging Eyes, Infant Eyes, and Excitable Tissues , Ray says:

Melatonin and prolactin are induced by stress, and darkness is a stress because it impairs mitochondrial energy production.

If darkness is a stress, would leaving lights on be less stressful then while asleep? If so, what kind of light is best? Is red light best?

Making sure there is absolutely no source of blue light, and having maybe one device like a clock or a lamp of some that produces faint red light is enough to mitigate many of the stressful effects of darkness.
 

Fred

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Making sure there is absolutely no source of blue light, and having maybe one device like a clock or a lamp of some that produces faint red light is enough to mitigate many of the stressful effects of darkness.
Quick hijack ... Haidut, you mentioned organic milks testing positive for gums and silica. Can you say which brand did NOT contain these additives. I can't imagine you would get in trouble for saying "Milk x" does not contain unlisted additives. Thanks!!
 

gaze

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I read the strangest things on here. Even when I read Ray Peat's words on darkness and its effects on human health, I could not take it seriously. Not because its not true that there are hormonal changes and can cause issues if you are unhealthy or are not prepared properly for sleep, but because this kind of language can create stress/anxiety over something that is supposed to be a natural part of being human.

Saying darkness causes stress is ludicrous because Peat's underlying principle beliefs is that anything that reduces energy production is stress. In that case we should try sleep with very bright sunlight-mimicking lights beaming down on us right? Come on now.

Humans have lived in many areas of the world each with its own levels of sunlight which even changed seasonally to almost none at all(like Europe especially North Europe). We are not at the mercy of the sun, though we need some our health isnt disabled without it. We dont need to force ourselves to sit in the beaming sun for the sake of health. Its not necessary or should it be obsessed over.

I honestly think fear of the dark or having issues with sleep/darkness can be also psychological thing. If you have fear/anxiety based off darkness or sleep(through poor sleep experience) then you can become very stressed at night no doubt. Children often fear the dark, this is something that we are supposed to outgrow and conquer. If you are avoiding complete darkness when sleeping that can be a manifestation over the fear of your shadow self. Not everything is purely related to the physical body, the psyche plays a serious role in this.
well said.
 

Nik665

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In Aging Eyes, Infant Eyes, and Excitable Tissues , Ray says:

Melatonin and prolactin are induced by stress, and darkness is a stress because it impairs mitochondrial energy production.

If darkness is a stress, would leaving lights on be less stressful then while asleep? If so, what kind of light is best? Is red light best?
Darkness is a stress that occurs when the sun goes down it is part of life. Which is why relaxing and sleeping when it goes down reduces the ill effects and why it is even more important to eat as soon as you awake to stop the stress hormones from going on. This is another reason why fasting protocols can be so detrimental. If you do not halt the stress by flooding the system with enough sugars then the cortisol cycle continues
 

pushkin

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I wanted to share a video I saw yesterday and it seemed natural to tag it onto a thread about darkness and sleep, it is truly fascinating and could be answering a few questions that people have been bringing up here.

I think what you say @tankasnowgod is addressed fully in the vid:
blue light can supposedly be good for sleep if used early in the morning. A high dose of blue light early (or really bright light, like from the sun) is what supposedly makes you more awake and alert. So it can theoretically help, but not directly at bedtime.

Ever been out in the sun all day (like at the beach) and then go home to sleep like a rock that night? That's the concept.

The takeaway from all this is basically that:

1: when it is dark, we need to sleep in darkness
2: when it is daylight we need outdoor light but not necessarily full sunlight on our skin (although heliotherapy just as important)
3: blue light (contained in full spectrum light) in the early morning will set our circadian rhythm
4: red light in the evening signals to our bodies that we will soon be sleeping and blue light will disrupt this.

It also has a completely excellent explanation of the krebs cycle and reactive oxygen species mechanisms.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YV_iKnzDRg
 

T-3

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Your bedroom should be pitch black.
I often sleep well with moderately bright incandescent lights left on through the night. I also sleep well in pitch-black rooms. I am fortunate to rarely have sleep issues. I do have an intense dislike of LEDs, however, and am doing my best to stockpile incandescent bulbs, as the place I live is using heavy-handed regulation to push LEDs. It seems that incandescent bulbs are now difficult to find in our grocery or hardware stores and can only be found in a few specialty shops (as far as I can tell).

Warrior, would you argue that, without noticing any decrement in sleep quality under normal incandescent lights left on while I sleep (usefully intense dreams that I remember and gain insight from), there is a compelling reason to only sleep in pitch-black rooms?

Interesting topic. I would think that there could be benefits from sleeping with or without substantial amounts of light. I will continue experimenting. I would say I like both, without noticing much difference except for maybe this: I particularly like to sleep with lights on when my metabolism is functioning relatively well; when I'm particularly stressed is when I want darkness (as a cave to escape to) and go to the trouble closing window shades and turning off lights.
 

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