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The More Light at Night, the Closer to Dementia: Scientists Find Out That 'Light Pollution' Is Dangerous for the Brain
We are amazed by the lights at night and the beautifully lit city. How wonderful! Street light shining directly on your bedroom window is much less pleasant. But as scientists have discovered, this means more than just discomfort. “Light pollution,” or artificial lighting in populated areas at night, can cause serious damage to people’s brains. The very sad result is that the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease increases significantly.
This is the conclusion reached by researchers from Rush University Medical Center (Chicago, USA). They assigned each US state a certain “light pollution” score. We also obtained data on the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease. In doing so, for objectivity, we took into account various factors that could affect the incidence (age, social status, concomitant diseases, etc.). The analysis showed that in areas with stronger nighttime lighting, there were significantly more patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
How can you explain this effect? If, according to experts, up to 90% of modern people live in a "polluted" environment, how great is this threat to all of us? Doctor of Medical Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Brain Institute of the Center for Neurosciences Sergei Illarioshkin answered the question of "KP".
“New studies have shown that exposure to outdoor advertising in windows when the curtains are not drawn, or indoor lighting (energy-saving lamps, night lights, light from appliances) are actually risk factors for the onset of Alzheimer's disease,” says Academician Illarioshkin.
Moreover, for people under 65, the role of “light pollution” in increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease turns out to be much more serious than the role of long-known and identified risk factors. Alcohol abuse, depression, obesity, diabetes, heart failure, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, etc. The expert emphasized: “This factor turned out to be one of the main factors in patients who experienced “light pollution” at night while sleeping with the lights on before the age of 65.”
- It is obvious that we are faced with another sign of the negative impact of civilization on human health. Of course, no one denies the enormous benefits that technological progress has given us. But it also creates the basis for Alzheimer's disease. It has been proven that physical inactivity, excess weight, high blood glucose and cholesterol levels make a very serious contribution to its development. And there are some types of air pollution that did not exist before. And now a new scourge has appeared on the list: "light pollution".
How exactly does this affect the body? First of all, night lighting disrupts your normal sleep-wake cycle. This is very bad. It stresses us out. It also disrupts the normal mechanisms of adaptation to stress that inevitably overcomes a person during the day. A good night's sleep is necessary to compensate and restore strength. This is only possible in the dark. Research has shown that the presence of a light source changes the nature of sleep. Over time, this disrupts various processes in the brain, including making it difficult for nerve cells to regenerate and contributing to the maintenance of chronic neuroinflammation.
Night lights can also disrupt the functioning of the so-called glymphatic system, says Academician Illarioshkin.
— Simply put, it is a special system that cleanses our brain of harmful substances formed during the life of cells. It is known that the most intensive removal of beta-amyloid and tau proteins from the brain occurs during the dark hours of the day, the excess of which is associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.
"Light pollution" can disrupt the glymphatic system, which is linked to normal circadian rhythms. And this is another mechanism that increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease, the expert explains.
- Maybe we will find another reason. However, the above is enough to add something to your measures to prevent Alzheimer's disease. We can safely advise everyone, especially those under 65, to turn off the lights during sleep.
Editor: Sonologists recommend special curtains (blackouts) that block out as much light as possible, and high-quality sleep masks made from natural materials.
"Light pollution" disrupts the production of the hormone melatonin, after which it was named by the director of the Cytopathology Laboratory of the Russian Center for Surgical Sciences. Academician Petrovsky David Aresidze. This hormone regulates circadian rhythms, maintains immunity and protects against stress. It has also been found to slow down aging.
But the problem is that melatonin is normally synthesized only in the dark. And most of us suffer from excessive nighttime light.
Dr Areshidze said: “According to an experimental animal study conducted by the Russian Centre for Surgical Sciences, melatonin deficiency caused by ‘light pollution’ accelerates aging and reduces life expectancy by 15-17%.
Russian scientists are currently experimenting with developing treatments that complement melatonin. Experts expect this to help improve the health of modern people and slow down aging.
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