Psychology suggests adults who dim the lights long before bed aren’t being dramatic: They’re protecting the slow transition the mind needs because bright evenings can keep the body externally cuedSynopsisResearchers uncover the mystery behind dimming the lights before bedtime. It turns out this soothing practice sends a message to the brain to start easing into sleep mode. Exposure to bright lights activates the brain, making it tough to drift off. By lowering the lights, our bodies can ease into relaxation, enhancing melatonin production, a vital hormone for sleep.The circadian system is most sensitive to light before bedtime, and dimming light should be considered for people having difficulty falling asleep | Image Credit: PexelsSome individuals start turning down their lights well before bed; the lights above their heads are switched off, and lamplight is used instead of the usual bright lights as night falls. To observers, such practices may appear as superfluous and even excessive. Scientific studies on sleep show how such behavior actually plays an important role. The exposure of individuals to light continues to stimulate their brains, thus hindering their bodies from transitioning into sleep.According to guidance from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the circadian system is most sensitive to light before bedtime, and dimming light should be considered for people having difficulty falling asleep, as the explanation is quite simple. Light not only makes the environment visible but also indicates what time of day it is. If bright lighting persists into the late evening, the brain receives messages associated with being ready for activities, and turning off the lights and making it dark will reduce those messages and allow the body to prepare for rest. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the sleep-wake cycle depends on many factors, including internal clocks that respond to cues from the surroundings. If bright artificial light is available in the evening, the secretion of melatonin and other preparations for sleep are interrupted. As a result, one might end up having their mind stimulated instead of being able to relax and rest.The circadian system is most sensitive to light before bedtime, and dimming light should be considered for people having difficulty falling asleep | Image Credit: PexelsWhat does darkness do to melatonin?According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, melatonin is stimulated by darkness and is a significant factor in regulating the body's circadian rhythms. The presence of light during nighttime would hinder the melatonin process and thus reduce one of the physiological cues that it is nighttime. The effect of dimming the lights goes beyond just relaxing.Human subjects exposed to regular room light before bedtime showed a significant reduction in melatonin concentration and a shorter perceived night in an experiment published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The significance of such a study lay in demonstrating the objective impact of evening light on health conditions, and the latter may result from changes in biological functions that regulate one's sleep schedule. This hypothesis has been further confirmed by a 2023 study published in the Journal of Pineal Research, which showed that reduced melanopic light exposure before bedtime was associated with reduced melatonin suppression, earlier melatonin onset, and shorter sleep latency. Consequently, certain light impacts have been shown to differ in biological effect. Light intensity and timing appear to matter a lot for circadian system responses.Evening and nighttime light exposure usually delays the circadian rhythm | Image Credit: PexelsThe goal is not darkness but a gentler transitionScholars have now begun to consider light in terms of information rather than just illumination. In an article based on a peer-reviewed literature review of human circadian physiology, it is noted that evening and nighttime light exposure usually delays the circadian rhythm, whereas morning light exposure advances it. The article mentions a special effect of shorter-wavelength light on the circadian rhythm. All these facts help explain how a well-lit evening differs from a dimly lit one. In a systematic review of healthy adults, it was observed that bright evening light was associated with delayed sleep and poor sleep outcomes. A review of circadian rhythm disorders indicated that light affects circadian rhythms based on time, brightness, and spectrum.According to a pilot study conducted in 2024, participants who received dim-light exposure before bed slept better, slept more efficiently, and experienced a faster onset of dim-light melatonin compared to control groups. It appears that lowering the level of light before bedtime has more to do with than just being another way to make the room cozy for a good night's rest. On the contrary, it is the only way of telling one's body that it is time to turn off and prepare for the next cycle of sleep-wake phases. One may wonder why people lower their lights many hours before retiring. The answer is simple: it has nothing to do with making the room feel warm or creating the atmosphere. Rather, it is the natural way to tell the brain that the period of night is approaching.Read More News on(Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates....moreless