In addition, Zee said, people who slept with higher levels of light were more likely to go to bed later and get up later, and "we know late sleepers tend to also have a higher risk for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders."
Strategies for reducing light levels at night include positioning your bed away from windows or using light-blocking window shades. Don't charge laptops and cellphones in your bedroom where melatonin-altering blue light can disrupt your sleep. If low levels of light persist, try a sleep mask to shelter your eyes.
If you have to get up, don't turn on lights if you don't have to, Zee advised. If you do, keep them as dim as possible and illuminated only for brief periods of time.
Older adults often have to get up at night to visit the bathroom, due to health issues or side effects from medications, Zee said, so advising that age group to turn out all lights might put them at risk of falling.
In that case, consider using nightlights positioned very low to the ground, and choose lights with an amber or red color. That spectrum of light has a longer wavelength, and is less intrusive and disruptive to our circadian rhythm, or body clock, than shorter wavelengths such as blue light.
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