Edit to add: Maybe *completely* dark wasn’t the right wording, but like, why do people generally prefer sleeping in the dark, why does that affect your ability to fall asleep in many cases?
In: 5
Why do you think that most people can’t sleep if it’s not completely dark?
A hormone called Melatonin, production increases with darkness, making you sleepy and fall asleep.
As the sun comes up, or with most bright lights, melatonin production decreases, thus waking you up.
Our bodies’ sleep cycles developed in a natural environment before artificial light. While it is certainly possible to sleep in a light environment (especially if you’re tired enough), light pollution interferes with sleep quality and can prevent the brain from cycling through the different phases of sleep that are required to repair body & brain tissue, consolidate memories, and all the other functions that are supposed to happen during sleep.
Long term, sleeping in a lit environment has been linked to elevated risk of depression and anxiety, dementia, and cancer.
The sleep hormone Melatonin will start to be produced when your inner clock determines it is nighttime. Your inner clock works entirely by the light of day.
Pretty much all organisms have an inner clock. If you put a blanket over a bird cage, the bird will fall asleep.
*’So why do I not fall asleep when I turn of the lights?’*
Obviously humans are not that easy. We are designed to survive, which means our stresscenter will keep us awake regarding of how much melatonin we are capable of producing, if we are experiencing threatning situations.
The issue here for most people is, that our brains cannot tell the difference between falling out of an airplane or being stressed from work. This means, darkness alone will not make us fall asleep. We must be relaxed and make our brain know, that it is safe to fall asleep. This is also why a common effect from stress is insomnia. Our stresscenter is working non-stop and forcing us awake.
Shut your blinders and turn of your phone. Sweet dreams.
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