"Die, sleep...maybe sound". To this phrase of Shakespeare in "Hamlet," perhaps they should have added a "and turn off the light."
People need darkness to reconcile a deep and adequate dream , it is true that we can often plunge into a brief and pleasant nap during daytime , but-usually-the real Rest requires a total absence of light.And why? You may wonder: is it a fad of our brain Or perhaps a socially adopted custom, in which sleep is only scheduled when it is night?
Why do we usually need to sleep in the dark?
The magic of melatonin
It is common for us to spend more than one night awake.We go out to party, work or simply watch television, read or surf the Internet without realizing that the hours they happen one after another.Doing it from time to time is not harmful, but if we repeated it day after day, our physical and mental health would suffer .
It's not about preferences or customs acquired, at all.It is a biological need, and the culprit of all this is a hormone: melatonin. During the day this substance is not present in our organism, it is only secreted through the pineal gland when we are suspended in absolute darkness.Just when the Sun falls...
But, what about What does melatonin do? You may wonder.It is an essential hormone.It protects us from many diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and countless heart problems.
The risk of artificial lights at night
Die, sleep, maybe sound, turn off the light...and the mobile!
As you know , melatonin needs darkness to perform its essential functions.If when night comes we spend a long time wrapped in the so-called artificial lights, its release is also blocked.
And in a way there lies the real problem.How to stop our life when night falls ? Our chores and our obligations push us to those streets full of neon lights, and streetlights.At home we need artificial light to dine, to continue working...to continue the engine of our daily existence with family and friends .
Scientists warn us, the lights that are especially harmful to the pineal gland are short waves of light, or blue light .You know, those produced by the television, computer, mobile...Our immune system weakens and insomnia, depression and some diseases appear.In fact, there is a curious fact: when the electric light spread in the population, we began to change our rhythm of life by keeping us awake for many more hours at night, with this type of artificial light.The consequences? Depressions began to increase as never before.
If we do not sleep at night, if we spend many hours at the computer, the next day we will feel tired. If we do it regularly and we sleep during the day, we could end up getting sick and suffering terrible mood swings.
Negative effects can be counteracted if it goes back to the night sleep cycles and avoiding, as far as possible, artificial light.In addition, it has been shown that we can even gain weight.A real nuisance.
So, it is better to take it into account.Be regular in your sleep cycles, rest at night... and put aside the cell phone even if they send you a whatsapp late in the morning.Surely when you open it and read the message, take a long time to reconcile the dream due to that kind of light.
If you He liked to discover why it is necessary to sleep in the dark, do not miss:
-10 curious things that can happen to you while you sleep
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