Orlando, Florida – More than 1 in 5 Americans live with a mental disorder. Researchers are currently investigating how light exposure affects a person’s likelihood of developing mental illness.
You use light to see the world around you, but researchers have found that light can affect your mental health in a variety of ways.
The world’s largest study on light exposure and mental health found that people exposed to high amounts of light at night had a 30% increased risk of developing depression, psychosis, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and self-harm. researchers found that they were more likely to cause behavior. .
However, people who were exposed to more light during the day had a 20% lower risk of depression and were less likely to develop other symptoms.
One possible reason for this link is that exposure to light at night can disrupt your circadian rhythm, your body’s internal clock.
“Most people end up becoming misaligned if they stay up until 11 o’clock watching TV in front of a bright screen,” explains John Burns, a clinical psychologist at Rush University Medical Center. do.
Try taking short walks outdoors in the morning or around midday to get the right amount of light. Set up your workspace near a window for natural light. Put down your devices at night and read a book instead. If you use your mobile phone, adjust your settings to reduce your blue light exposure. If you don’t have enough sunlight during the fall and winter months, consider using a bright light box in your home.
“Bright light is thought to help people correct circadian rhythm disturbances,” Burns says.
Helps improve mental health by getting the right amount of light.
In a 2022 analysis, researchers found that in 33% of the studies they looked at, people slept less after being exposed to blue light.
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