Is Your Bedroom Light Silently Harming Your Heart? SHOCKING New Research Reveals

Asianet News English

A groundbreaking study from Boston reveals that exposure to artificial light at night—commonly found in our bedrooms, can silently increase stress signals in the brain, inflame our blood vessels, and raise the risk of heart disease. Using advanced brain imaging and satellite data, researchers found that even modest increases in nighttime light exposure are linked to a 35% higher chance of heart problems over 5 years.&nbsp;

Transcript

00:00This science study might make you take a second look at the simple glow in your bedroom.

00:04We tend to think of artificial light as a friend that helps us read a book at night,

00:08scroll through our phones, or binge watch that latest series.

00:12But scientists in Boston have just revealed something startling.

00:16The glowing lights that keep our homes comfortable at night

00:19may quietly be raising our risk for serious heart problems.

00:23Let's break down what the researchers have discovered.

00:26In a study more than 400 adults, none of whom had existing heart conditions,

00:32underwent high-tech brain and artery scans at Massachusetts General Hospital.

00:37Now, researchers then combined those scans with satellite data

00:40showing how bright the night skies were around each participant's home.

00:45The results?

00:46Well, people exposed to more artificial light at night

00:49showed greater stress activity in their brains,

00:52more inflammation in their blood vessels, and a significantly higher risk

00:56of developing heart disease over the next decade.

01:00The numbers here are eye-opening.

01:02Just one standard deviation increase in nighttime light exposure

01:06translated to a 35% higher risk of heart disease over 5 years.

01:11Over a 10-year period, that was still a 22% higher risk,

01:16even after accounting for other factors like air and noise pollution and other socioeconomic status.

01:22So how does your bedroom lamp or city streetlights

01:26sneaking through the curtains actually damaging your heart?

01:30Well, the answer lies in stress pathways.

01:32When your brain detects artificial light at times, it expects darkness.

01:36It activates stress signals.

01:38This can spark an immune response, causing inflammation in your blood vessels.

01:42Now, over time, those inflamed vessels can harden, ultimately raising your risk

01:47of heart attack and stroke.

01:49In fact, the more light you are exposed to at night, the higher your risk

01:53and the pattern appears almost linear.

01:56Worse still, these risks are amplified if you also live with other stressors

02:01like heavy traffic noise or in lower-income areas.

02:05Now, in the study, 17% of the participants developed major heart issues over 10 years,

02:11and artificial nighttime light was firmly linked to those outcomes.

02:15Now, you may be wondering, is this the final word?

02:18Well, not quite.

02:20The scientists stress that their work is observational, and in other words,

02:24it finds a strong link, but it doesn't prove that light is causing heart disease on its own.

02:30But what's clear is that light pollution is already as much a threat

02:35to our cardiovascular health as air or noise pollution.

02:39The American Heart Association recently issued a statement reinforcing the idea that exposure

02:45to night light disrupts our body clocks and raises our risk of heart disease, even at low levels.

02:52So what can you do?

02:54Well, experts recommend dimming indoor lighting, installing blackout curtains, and putting away

03:00screens in the hour before bed.

03:02Cities, too, can help by reducing unnecessary outdoor lighting.

03:07The takeaway?

03:08Well, something as ordinary as your bedroom glow really can have extraordinary effects

03:14on your health.

03:15Maybe it's time to rethink the way we illuminate our nights for the sake of our hearts.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended