New research has been published, that makes a startling claim against the exposure of artificial light during night. As you may already know, it is known that exposure to artificial light during or before your sleep hours can actually prevent your naturally occuring biological clock from winding down and thus preventing you from easily falling asleep. But this new revelation shares even more evidence that light at night can be even more dubious than previously suspected.
The research was performed by Dr. Rachel Ben-Shlomo of the University of Haifa-Oranim Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology along with Prof. Charalambos P. Kyriacou of the University of Leicester. The study has been published in the journal Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics. The experiments that were carried out in this research point out that even one pulse of artificial light in the evening hours, can inhibit cell’s natural division – an essential part of a healthy body and immune system. The scientiests revealed that the cell division is essentially harmed and that the transcription of a large number of genes is affected. They state that it is important to note that those genes showing changes in their expression included genes that are connected to the formation of cancer as well as genes that assist in the fight against cancer.
Dr. Ben-Shlomo, comments on the research: “What is certain is that the natural division is affected… Damage to cell division is characteristic of cancer, and it is therefore important to understand the causes of this damage.”
More research into this topic is certainly necessary before one ties a definite link between artificial light and actual cancer, but it is certainly something to be wary of when you are preparing for your evening. When you are settling down for bedtime, be sure that all forms of artificial light are limited – including things such as TV, computer screens, cell phone screens, bright alarm clocks, light from street lamps and even night lights. Not only will this hopefully benefit your natural cell division, but you are sure to help your body ease into sleep without too much fuss.