Peat Says Darkness Is Stressful, How Should We Sleep Then?

you

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Ok so Peats says darkness = stressful and that we should avoid darkness as much as possible, what are his thoughts on sleeping?

I know the current mantra of "sleep specialists" is that when sleeping, the darker the better. I've tried Googling and searching the forums for Peat's thoughts on optimal sleep but I haven't found much really.

Could using a dim red light during sleep be beneficial? Is darker really better?

Discuss! :salute
 

BobbyDukes

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I'm sure that Peat has said that sleep itself is protective to some degree (good sleep, whatever that is).
 
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you

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Just found some good quotes from Peat on red light and sleep

It does suppress melatonin. I think the problem with light research is that many of them weren't using similar levels of light energy at the different wavelengths. I have tried sleeping with red light, and I didn't like it; but it can be equally effective, for maintaining blood sugar or reducing inflammation, if it shines only on the feet or legs. I think the u.v. lamps are good for use in the winter.

it has been shown that people with depression have high nighttime levels of aldosterone. Darkness stimulates melatonin and suppresses mitochondrial respiration. Darkness is stressful and catabolic. For example, in aging people, the morning urine contains nearly all of the calcium lost during the 24-hour period, and mitochondria are especially sensitive to the destructive effects of darkness. Sleep reduces the destructive catabolic effects of darkness. During the rapid-eye-movement (dreaming) phase of sleep, breathing is inhibited, and the level of carbon dioxide in the tissue accumulates. In restful sleep, the oxygen tension is frequently low enough, and the carbon dioxide tension high enough, to trigger the multiplication of stem cells and mitochondria

Brighter light in the early evening [reduces night-time stress]

It varies with the season, 8 to 8 1/2 hours [of sleep] is usually best

I have concentrated on thyroid, progesterone, and red light as the most important factors that protect against estrogen, and these all turn out to be protective against stress, shock, ionizing radiation, free radicals, lipid peroxidation, thymic atrophy, osteoporosis, arthritis, scleroderma, apoptotic cell death, and other problems that are involved in tissue degeneration or aging.."

Red light accelerates wound healing, and improves the quality of the scar, reducing the amount of fibrosis

By the 1960s, several studies had been published showing the inhibition of respiratory enzymes by blue light, and their activation by red light

Red light is protective, blue light (or u.v.) is harmful, so wearing orange lenses would be helpful

Duringthe night animals' respiratory enzymes lose some of their effectiveness, possibly from the effects of random lipid peroxidation, and red light restores their activity
 
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I think melatonin should buffer some of the free radicals or prevent them.
 

CJ_87

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So would the best of both worlds be to sleep in a light room? Is it the effect of darkness on the skin or just the eyes that is the stressor?
 

tara

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So would the best of both worlds be to sleep in a light room? Is it the effect of darkness on the skin or just the eyes that is the stressor?
Lack of red light (orange through near infrared) on skin means the cytochrome oxidase enzyme is not restored. If you can sleep with some red or incandescent light on, that may be worth a try? But getting sleep is important, so don't do it if it stops you sleeping.
Personally, I would sleep with curtains open in summer if privacy and security were not issues.
 

CJ_87

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Lack of red light (orange through near infrared) on skin means the cytochrome oxidase enzyme is not restored. If you can sleep with some red or incandescent light on, that may be worth a try? But getting sleep is important, so don't do it if it stops you sleeping.
Personally, I would sleep with curtains open in summer if privacy and security were not issues.

Thank you, Tara.

That is very interesting about sleeping with the curtains open in summer, since a couple of years ago I moved into a new place and didn't get around to putting any blinds or curtains up for about two months. I felt great that summer, which I attributed to the de-stressing effects of being woken up naturally and gradually by increasing sunlight each morning. Now I'm thinking it may also have been due to the increased red light I was getting.

I will definitely try it again this summer! (Window backs onto a garden with several trees, so privacy is not a worry.)
 

tara

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Thank you, Tara.

That is very interesting about sleeping with the curtains open in summer, since a couple of years ago I moved into a new place and didn't get around to putting any blinds or curtains up for about two months. I felt great that summer, which I attributed to the de-stressing effects of being woken up naturally and gradually by increasing sunlight each morning. Now I'm thinking it may also have been due to the increased red light I was getting.

I will definitely try it again this summer! (Window backs onto a garden with several trees, so privacy is not a worry.)

Lots of people seem to have stronger metabolism in summer, and probably more sunshine is an important factor.
 

Makrosky

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I think a human being should sleep at night and has probably being doing so for at least... 200.000 years?

Light during the day, darkness during the night. It's easy.
 

CoolTweetPete

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I sometimes sleep with a very dim red LED in my bedroom, and my sleep quality seems somewhat improved. Sometimes it bothers me and keeps me from falling asleep though.

I'm sure a lot of our ancestors slept in front of fires once we learned to manipulate it. Makes some sense from an evolutionary perspective to not sleep in pitch black.
 

Zachs

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Pretty sure he is referring to pitch black darkness for extended periods of time. Even moon light is enough to reduce stress hormones and yes, waking up to the sun is very important. A soft red light could also be helpful, definitely shine a red light before sleep though, blue light disturbs sleep greatly.
 

Constatine

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Not to sound like a nudist but would this mean that clothes are stressful? No light exposure on skin.
 
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fradon

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Ok so Peats says darkness = stressful and that we should avoid darkness as much as possible, what are his thoughts on sleeping?

There is an old saying...Going to Bed With The Chickens And Get Up With The Cows

Animals follow this natural rhythm. Sundown time to sleep. Sun up time to get going.
 

paymanz

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I wondering if co2 and heat(infrared?!) That our body emits can substitute the light exposure.

Light is great, but they seem to be more important.
 

LadyRae

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Ok so Peats says darkness = stressful and that we should avoid darkness as much as possible, what are his thoughts on sleeping?

I know the current mantra of "sleep specialists" is that when sleeping, the darker the better. I've tried Googling and searching the forums for Peat's thoughts on optimal sleep but I haven't found much really.

Could using a dim red light during sleep be beneficial? Is darker really better?

Discuss! :salute
I have a small red incandescent bulb inside my salt lamp, on the dimmest setting. Began this a couple months ago, and I DO notice fewer wakeups. Only 1 per night now, and I go right back to sleep for 3-4 hours.

Some people put the lamp on the floor... You can experiment with different places in your room. I really like the soft reddish glow🔥
 

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