Man’s biological clock is set to sleep in the dark. When this watch rings the yacht bell, when it’s bright, your mood is affected. The effect usually occurs as depression. Depression can also cause some negativity in the structure and functioning of the brain.
But if you’re afraid of the dark for a variety of reasons, or if you wake up and want to find your destination without bumping into it, you’re using a night light. If that’s the case, you can minimize the damage if you correctly select the color of the light emitted by the night light. According to scientists based on their experiments on hamsters, red light is the right choice.And the worst is the blue one. The blue light on the searches range is followed by white light.
According to Randy Nelson, Professor of Neurology and Psychology at Ohio State University, one of the team conducting the research, the findings could have significant consequences, especially for workers who are exposed to mental state disorders, especially on night shifts. “If we can use a red light for night shift workers where conditions apply, we can avoid some of the negative effects of white light on their health” Nelson says.
The researchers, who published their findings in the August 7, 2013 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, examined some of the specialized cells in the retinal layer of the eye called ipRGC. They don’t have much of an important role in the visual mechanism. However, they detect light and send signals to a specific brain region that helps the body’s biological clock, called the circadian clock, function properly. Tracy Bedrosian, co-author of the study, stresses that nightlight can cause the brain to receive messages at the time it should n’t receive, to the mood-regulating regions. According to the researcher, this may be the reason why night light relates to depression in some people.
The beams of light at different wavelengths in the “visible (optical) light” range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which we perceive as different colors of light, is actually sensitive to the human eye. IPRGC cells don’t react the same to all of these wavelengths. According to Nelson, these cells are most sensitive to the most (easily scattered) blue light. The red light (the least scattered, relatively long wavelength) is the least sensitive.
Researchers kept adult female Siberian hamsters in night environments with no lights, pale red light, pale white light (such as ordinary night lighting) and pale blue light for four weeks. Then they looked at whether they were showing depression-like symptoms. The indicator is how much these animals drink from their favorite sugary water. It’s been seen that the ones most sought for this mixture are those who sleep in the dark. And then the ones that stay in the red light environment. It has been observed that those who remain in pale white and blue light drink considerably less than the others.
After the experiments, researchers examined the hypocampus area in the animal’s brains. In the hippocampus of those who stay in pale blue or pale white light, the number of extensions called dentrit signals to communicate with each other has decreased significantly. Nelson emphasizes that the relationship between the lack of dendrite protrusions and depression is known.
Both researchers say the research findings may be valid for humans.
Apart from night workers, those who work with computers, watch television or other electronic devices will also be useful to limit light in the environment, the researchers pointed out, adding that the color of light is important. They remind me. “If you need light in your bedroom or toilet, you’re better red than white,” says Bedrosyan.
