ORLANDO, Fla. – More than one in five Americans live with a mental health disorder. Now, researchers are looking at how exposure to light could affect a person’s chances of developing a psychiatric condition.
You use it to see the world around you but now researchers are finding light can affect your mental health in more ways than one.
In the world’s largest study on light exposure and mental health, researchers found people exposed to high amounts of light at night had a 30% increased risk of developing depression and a greater chance of psychosis, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and self-harm.
On the other hand, those who were exposed to higher amounts of light during the day had a 20% lower risk of depression and were less likely to develop the other conditions.
One possible reason for the link is exposure to light at night can misalign your circadian rhythm, that’s your body’s internal clock.
“Most people end up getting misaligned by staying up until 11 o’clock in front of a bright screen watching TV,” explained John Burns, a Clinical Psychologist at Rush University Medical Center.
To get the right amount of light exposure, try taking a short walk outside in the morning or around lunchtime. Set up your workspace near a window to attract natural light. Put down your devices at night and read a book instead. If you do use your phone, adjust the settings to decrease blue light exposure. And if you can’t get enough sunlight during the fall and winter, consider using a bright light box at home.
“Bright light is supposed to help people realign circadian misalignment,” Burns said.
Helping you get the right amount of light and improve your mental health.
In a 2022 analysis, researchers found that in 33% of the studies they looked at, people slept less after being exposed to blue light.