Research finds dimming lights few hours before sleep could reduce diabetes risk in pregnant women – Details inside

To reduce the chances of developing gestational diabetes mellitus, scientists recommended that pregnant women turn off or dim the lights in their homes a few hours before bedtime. The researchers from Northwestern Medicine, Northwestern University, US, also question exposure to light from computer monitors, smartphones screens.

Women who had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus in the multi-site study had more light exposure in the three hours before sleep onset. However, no differences were found among those who were not diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus in exposure to light during day or night or in their activity levels.

“Our study suggests that light exposure before bedtime may be an under-recognized yet easily modifiable risk factor of gestational diabetes,” according to Minjee Kim, an assistant professor at Northwestern University.

Bright lights at night not good for non pregnant adults

The study suggests that exposure to light at night prior to bedtime may be linked to impaired glucose regulation in non pregnant adults. Bright lights in your house and electronic devices like TVs, computers, and smartphones can expose you to bright light just before bed. However, it is little known about how gestational diabetes, a common pregnancy complication with serious health consequences for both the mother and the unborn child, is affected by exposure to evening light during pregnancy.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Maternal Fetal Medicine, it is thought to be one of the first large-scale investigations of the effects of light exposure before bed on the risk of gestational diabetes.

The risk of diabetes, heart disease, and dementia in the mother are all known to rise with gestational diabetes. As the kids grow older, they are also more prone to develop obesity and hypertension, according to Kim.

Which source of bright light causes the problem?

The study shows that women who have gestational diabetes are nearly 10 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus compared to those who do not have glucose issues during pregnancy, she added.

She further added that we don’t think about the potential harm of keeping the environment bright from the moment we wake up until we go to bed. But it should be pretty dim for several hours before we go to bed. We probably don’t need that much light for whatever we do routinely in the evening, Kim said.

Which source of bright light causes the problem is not known yet, but it might all add up, Kim suggested.

Kim advised trying to reduce whatever light is in your environment in those three three hours before going to bed. Also, she suggested not using a computer, or phone during this period. But if you have to use them, keep the screens as dim as possible.” Kim also stated that if pregnant persons develop gestational diabetes with the first pregnancy, they are more likely to have it with the next pregnancy.

Pre-sleep light exposure increases heart rate and may lead to abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and increased blood pressure. Pre-sleep light exposure may also affect glucose metabolism through sympathetic overactivity, meaning the heart rate goes up before bed when it should go down.

(With PTI inputs)