subject: Light Pollution Can Harm Your Sleep Habits [print this page] Sleep is a big issue in the USSleep is a big issue in the US. The majority of people don't get enough sleep, or if they get enough it is of very poor quality. Light bulbs and artificial lighting have a hand in this sleep deprivation through light pollution. After the sun has gone down, we need a lack of light for our bodies to begin producing melatonin, a chemical that plays a large role in our sleep habits.
Light bulbs at night disrupt our production of melatonin and consequently our circadian rhythm. We can't get adequate hours of quality sleep without a healthy circadian rhythm bolstered by melatonin. Animals in general suffer even more from light pollution than we humans do. Various migratory animals find their senses thrown off by the unexpected and unwelcome light everywhere. Light bulbs have been a boon to humanity, but perhaps we need to reign in their usage.
Street lights and security lighting come to mind when thinking about lighting that we could use some better, smarter implementation. Most street lights and security lighting are not designed with light pollution in mind at all, instead throwing their light out without a care. When a security light lights up the sky as well as the building for which it is intended, that is light pollution. When a security light blinds oncoming traffic, that's light pollution. These lights need to be designed so that the light goes directly to the ground, specifically to areas on the ground that will minimize glare and reflection. Half of the security lighting out there ends up doing the opposite of its original intent by blinding witnesses!
These days our lighting and light bulbs are continually becoming more energy efficient. Hopefully this new energy efficiency doesn't beget a new slew of light pollution infractions as people and businesses use more lighting simply because they can. Excess seems to be human nature, but light bulbs and lighting are a couple things we need to avoid using to excess.
