Mood Disorder: Light Research

mood disorder: A new study, published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, finds adolescents who live in areas with high levels of outdoor artificial light at night get less sleep and are more likely to have a mood disorder than teens who live with low levels of outdoor light, according to CTV. Research has long studied the association between indoor artificial light and mental health, but few studies have looked at the impact of outdoor artificial light, especially in teens, making this the first study of its kind, the authors said, with potentially long-term implications for mental and physical health. Now, you may want to use light-blocking curtains at your bedroom windows as well -- especially for any children in your home. Although environmental light exposure is only one factor in a more complex network of influences on sleep and behavior, it is likely to be an important target for prevention and interventions in adolescent health, said co-author Kathleen Merikangas, a senior investigator and chief of the Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health, in a statement. Science has linked poor slumber with high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, weight gain, a lack of libido and a higher risk of diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, dementia and some cancers. POOR SLEEP IN TEENS When our internal 24-hour body clock, called our circadian rhythm, is disrupted by a change in sleep patterns or a sleep disorder, it impacts both our physical and mental health. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.