Turning off lights during night sleep not only saves electricity bills, but also good for health. Recent research shows that sleeping in a room brightly lit conditions can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The study was conducted by Joshua Gooley, health experts from Harvard Medical School in Boston. In experiments conducted 5 consecutive days, the Gooley involving 116 participants aged between 18-30 years.
The participants were divided into 2 groups, one of which is conditioned to be in the room is brightly lit for 8 hours before bedtime. The other group was placed in a dim room with the same duration of 8 hours.
The result of examination of blood samples taken every 30 minutes showed the hormone melatonin production down 50 percent in participants who were in a bright environment. These hormones regulate related biological clock cycles between asleep and awake.
Besides triggering sleepiness, melatonin is also associated with some types of serious illnesses. Melatonin receptors located in nerve mentioned could increase the risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes if their activity is reduced.
"The study provides a big impact for night workers who are exposed to light throughout the night and then take a nap when the sun shines bright," Gooley said as quoted from HealthDay, Monday (17/01/2011).
However, Gooley can not explain with certainty the relationship between melatonin receptor activity with an increased risk of cancer and diabetes. The mechanisms that cause both new interconnected Gooley will be revealed in subsequent research.
