And Daylight Saving Time may actually cause more harm than good, even though it seems to add daylight hours to our schedule. This is the shifting of time to allow one more hour of daylight in the evening and one less in the morning. The idea is that this shift will save energy while boosting productivity, and a study by the U.S. Department of Transportation has noted that it has trimmed the U.S. electricity usage by about 1% each day. But is this really good for us or our planet? Is it wise to mess with a system that has governed our bodies up until the 20th century?
Our modern lifestyle, the one in which the early bird gets the worm, the last one standing wins and pulling an all-nighter is par for the course, has thwarted our natural inclination towards rising and setting with the sun, and this lack of darkness and abundance of artificial light may be taking its toll. Artificial light can cause fatigue, depression, decreased performance and lower calcium absorption while a lack of natural light can lead to vitamin D deficiency and impaired ability to process toxins. Our bodies need darkness during sleep. Bright light at night disrupts our various circadian cycles, which affects the production of melatonin, a hormone released by the pineal gland involved in the wake/sleep cycles and body temperature fluctuations. The pineal gland is connected by nerves to the eye and is very light sensitive. It’s so sensitive that a study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found that children under two who slept with a nightlight were more likely to develop nearsightedness in later years. Short term exposure to too much light and not enough dark can result in depression and impaired thinking (so that explains it!) and over the long term, it can actually result in hormone related cancers, like breast cancer. Melatonin may actually arrest breast cancer cell growth, so stopping its release (which is triggered by darkness) could further the problem. Studies show that blind people have a lower incidence of breast cancer while women who work at night have higher rates. In fact, a recent report by the World Health Organization states that "shift work that involves circadian disruption is probably carcinogenic to humans."
Severe light pollution over Calgary |
As far as the environment is concerned, the EPA asserts that oil and coal burning accounts for most electrical lighting, resulting in billions of tons of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides annually. This doesn’t fare well for anybody, especially considering that about one third of our lighting is wasted by shining upwards and sideways.
Every plant and animal is reliant on the rhythmic balance of lightness and darkness. Perhaps we can implement small steps for a darker life: use lamps and lighting design that minimize light waste, check out the International Dark-Sky Association and the EPA’s creation, Energy Star for light reducing ideas. Try starting a Lights Out curfew one night a week and see how you fill your time. It may leave you feeling refreshed in the morning, or it may give you a welcome boost to your love life!
