Why sleeping with the light on could make you depressed

By Fiona Macrae

Sleeping with the light on could leave you in a dark mood the next day, scientists have warned.
They say that night light - however dim - may affect the structure of the brain, raising the odds of depression.
The eerie glow emitted by a TV or the seemingly reassuring presence of a night light, could be enough to impact on mental health.

Sleeping with the light n could affect your mental health, scientists have warned

The warning, presented at a leading American conference, is the latest in a long line about the potential dangers of disrupting the body's natural sleep-wake cycle.

There are concerns that shift workers are at higher risk of breast cancer and, only last month, a study linked night time light with weight gain.

With complete darkness being hard to achieve in the modern world, the researchers say the findings could have serious implications for health.

In the latest study, researchers from Ohio State University, looked at the effect of exposing rodents to dim light in the eight hours or so they would usually be asleep.

At the equivalent of having a television on in a darkened room, the lamp used was not bright, but it was enough to affect the animals' behaviour, the Society for Neuroscience's annual conference heard.

One depression test measured how much sugared water the creatures mice drank, with a lack of interest in the sweet treat signalling a change in mood.

Overall, those exposed to the dim light at night showed more symptoms of depression compared to the hamsters in the standard light-dark cycle.

Further tests showed differences in structure of a brain region called the hippocampus. These changes could make it more difficult for chemical messages to be passed between brain cells.

Researcher Tracy Bedrosian said: 'The hippocampus plays a key role in depressive disorders, so finding changes there is significant.

'Even dim light at night is sufficient to provoke depressive behaviour.'

Neuroscientist Dr Randy Nelson added that the dimness of the light used made the result all the more surprising.

'This was a very low level,' he said. 'Something that most people could easily encounter every night.'

He believes that the effects on the brain are caused by the suppression of thehormone melatonin by night-time light.

Last year, the Danish government compensated dozens of women who developed breast cancer after working night shifts.

The deal was struck after the World Health Organisation ranked night-working one rung below asbestos and smoking when rating potential triggers of cancer.

It is thought that melatonin, which is suppressed by night time light, plays an essential role in keeping breast tumours in check.

Cancer doctors say that whatever their working hours, all women can help reduce their risk of the cancer by maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular exercise and limiting the amount of alcohol they drink.


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Why sleeping with the light on could make you depressed

Could sleeping apart perk up your love life? More couples are opting for separate bedrooms - with surprising results

By Diana Appleyard

Mike and Jean Collom have ­performed the same ritual every night for the past eight years. They exchange a loving kiss, a warm embrace, wish one another a peaceful night’s rest — and then disappear into separate bedrooms.

The happily married couple, from Chippenham in Wiltshire, have decided that, for them, the key to a successful relationship lies in sleeping apart.

I’m sure it’s why our marriage works so well,’ says Jean, a 58-year-old professional gardener.

Key to a happy relationship? More and more couples are opting for separate bedrooms, according to sleep experts

‘I couldn’t stand Mike’s snoring, and would have to wake him to stop it — which meant that ­neither of us was getting a decent night’s sleep.

‘The solution was obvious. I now sleep in the marital bed, as I like to sit up and read, and Mike has moved to the single bed in the spare room.’

The sleep solution has proved so successful that they now insist on separate rooms wherever they go — even though this can cause a raised eyebrow at times.

‘Our friends do think it’s odd, and some have assumed our marriage has problems,’ says Jean.

‘But, in fact, the complete opposite is true: we’re taking action to avoid problems. I’m not in the least embarrassed for people to know we sleep apart.’

While the majority of married couples do share a double bed, there’s no doubt that a growing number — and particularly those in high-powered jobs — are choosing to sleep separately, shunning convention in return for quality rest.

The natural assumption would be that couples who don’t share a bed do not have as fulfilling a sex life as those who do. But Jean is quick to knock down that theory.

‘If either of us is feeling in the mood, then we start off the night in bed with each other, but then move before we fall asleep.

And occasionally we’ll tiptoe down the hallway and pay one another a visit, which has an element of “naughtiness” to it that makes us feel young again.’


Her husband Mike, a 62-year-old special needs teacher, believes the arrangement has strengthened their marriage.

He says: ‘Because we both get a good night’s sleep, we argue much less than many other couples, and we make an effort to be more tactile with each other the rest of the time.’

It’s no coincidence that 45-year-old Dr Neil Stanley, one of this country’s leading sleep experts, does not share a bed with his wife of nine years.

‘Human beings get the best sleep on their own,’ he says. ‘If you take a standard 4ft 6in double bed, then you are allowing each adult less personal space than a child would have in a single bed. It makes no sense.’

And his own research has convinced him that the number of couples sleeping apart is on the increase.

‘Couples who sleep together suffer sleep disturbance for at least 50 per cent of the night, whether that’s caused by snoring, fidgeting, duvet-stealing or trips to the loo,’ he says.

‘It isn’t the done thing in Britain for happily married people to admit they don’t share a bed, but I know that many couples are doing this.’

The belief that married couples should sleep together began in Tudor times.

‘Before that, only the poor would sleep together,’ says Dr Stanley. ‘If you look round stately homes, there are always separate bedrooms for the Lord and his wife.

‘Our own Queen and Prince Philip have this arrangement, and they seem to have had a long and happy ­marriage as a result.’

The Tudor Age saw the beginning of the explosion of the ‘middle classes’, through increased trade. For the first time, it meant there was a group of people — neither rich nor poor — who didn’t have enough room to sleep apart, and yet had social status.Read more

Could sleeping apart perk up your love life? More couples are opting for separate bedrooms - with surprising results