The negative effects of artificial light at night

Abstract

Our body has a biological clock and all tissues are oscillators that follow the daily light-dark cycle in order to change the intensity of behavior and physiological functions and make us more efficient according to whether we are awake or asleep. The invention and use of electric lights, which began around the last century, have affected this temporal organization. Light exposure at night has social, ecological, behavioral and health consequences that just now begin to be apparent. People with nocturnal habits are mostly exposed to light at night, and among them night workers are at risk. Due to changes in life style, young people, including children, are now individuals exposed to this factor that affects their physiology. The excess of light at night, also called “light pollution”, is the cause of diverse health problems. The aim of this paper is to present evidence from clinical studies and experimental models that points out the deleterious effects of light at night as a factor that affects the circadian system, physiological systems and behavior leading to disease. Here we offer evidence that light at night is a risk factor for public health.

>> Read more