Smartsleep cnet how to#

Light therapy may not work well if you have vision-related conditions, suffer from light sensitivity or bipolar disorder or take certain medications. However, as with any type of treatment, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor before you begin. These benefits of light therapy are promising. For instance, green light may help treat migraines, while some evidence shows that red light might be useful for treating wounds.īroadly speaking, light therapy may help patients who suffer from: Depending on the issue, some people may benefit from full-spectrum sunlight (or an artificial equivalent) or targeted exposure to certain parts of the light spectrum. Treatment times vary based on the person and condition, but light therapy sessions usually consist of around 30 minutes of direct light exposure. This practice, known as light therapy, is still relatively new, and many of its benefits are still being studied. Read more: How We Might Get Better Sleep, According to Our Ancestorsīecause of the important relationship between light and our brains, scientists have experimented with various ways to use sunlight and artificial light to treat certain mental health conditions. During winter, about 5% of adults in the US experience increases in these problems, an issue known as seasonal affective disorder. Our brains are so dependent on sunlight that a lack of exposure can disrupt our sleep cycles and cause mental health problems such as depression and other mood disorders. These hormones are linked to important aspects of our waking routines, such as mood and alertness.

Melatonin production decreases, and your body begins boosting its production of other hormones, particularly serotonin and cortisol. For most of human history, our bodies have relied on the simple rhythm of waking up to sunlight and sleeping in the dark.Įven when your eyes are closed, the photoreceptors in your retina can sense the presence of sunlight, which triggers your brain to begin waking up.

Smartsleep cnet how to#

Read more: How to Get Better Sleep How sunlight affects your brainĪlthough these circadian rhythms are affected by various aspects of our daily behavior and patterns, nothing is more important than light. It can also disrupt your sleep cycles, limiting your time in deep sleep, which is critical for restoring your body and mind. Exposure to light during nighttime, especially when you normally sleep, can block melatonin production and make it more difficult for you to fall or stay asleep. Overnight, when light exposure is minimal, melatonin production can increase by as much as three to 10 times its daytime amount. When melatonin production increases, your body naturally transitions into a resting state.ĭuring the day, your body suppresses melatonin production. Later in the day, when it's dark outside, your body produces more melatonin, which is a hormone that helps regulate your sleep cycles. Studies show that our brains are most sensitive to light from about 2 hours before we usually go to sleep until about an hour after we wake. That means your body responds differently depending on the time of day, particularly after you wake up and before you usually go to bed.