Too Much Light/Not Enough Sleep

 


 I actually got a pretty good night's sleep the other night.  (Hoorah!)  I still got up too early.  (I wish my eyes would not snap open before 4).  However, I went to sleep really early (before 9) and slept through for the most part.  This is likely the result of the allergy medication I took, along with a Tylenol yesterday evening.  (The pollen count is extremely high around here.  Everyone has sinus issues and headaches, or so it seems.)  On the other hand my husband didn't sleep much at all last night and was awake when I got up (just before 4).  I encouraged him to try and get some sleep while I went out for a walk.  (Yes, I've started walking again, but I am not walking as far or as long as I need to get out the door by about 6:35 if I want to catch the 6:47.  And I'm just not going as fast as I'd like...my knee will never be the same as it was before it went "wonky.")

So with sweats, my reflective vest and a blinking light (that is supposed to snap to the back of your sneaker, but it broke, so I just kind of hold on to it along with my arm weights) I was out the door before 4:30.  It's dark out at the hour, so I try to focus more and don't listen to the radio or  a podcast (I'm a fan of Mobituaries, The Plot Thickens and You Must Remember This).  Although the SKY is dark, it really isn't that dark out at all.  While there used to be just streetlights, now there are "security" lights everywhere, bathing the world in an eerie glow.  

I live on the edge of a business district (actually the district came AFTER the house was built and purchased by my grandparents.  Once upon a long ago, the area was all trees.  Now it's a strip mall, a car dealership and county roads/highways.)  The businesses that are close by have put up some really bright security lights.  (I can't blame them...since the pandemic there  has been a rash of car theft and I'm sure the influx of high intensity lighting is a result of that.)  These lights illuminate just about everything on my block.  I could walk all the way down my backyard (and it goes on for quite a distance) in the middle of the night and have no visibility problems.  While it MAY be good for keeping the crooks away, it's not great for sleeping.  I have not yet invested in black out curtains/shades.  Maybe I should?  (I love NATURAL light and like to keep my window shades open during the day.)

Returning to my morning walk (remember, I haven't been walking as much as I used to), as it was pre-dawn, I also noticed a LOT of houses that not only have their front porch lights on, but also have a variety of outdoor lights.  I do understand motion sensor lights (which sometimes go off when you don't want them too!), but do people really need so many lights?  Some houses are lit up like a cruise ship!  What's with all the recessed outdoor lighting?  Do we really need lights under every eave?  How do people in these houses sleep at night?

Maybe they don't.  Since the winter (when night falls early), I've seen houses at the jersey shore lit up like this.  They proclaim:  hey, I'm not home, but I'm trying to convince you that I am! My house is protected.  My house is a beacon, but not for thieves.  If I leave all my outdoor lights on 24/7 no one will notice if I'm here or not.  Light equals safety, right?

But with all of these lights now becoming prevalent EVERYWHERE (or so it seems), are they really offering "protection"?  In my eyes it's a nuisance.  And I also have to wonder if it's keeping others up too.  While I was out walking, I saw quite a few houses with their lights on INSIDE as well as outside.  I'm not just talking about leaving a lamp on in the front window.  I could tell that people were up and about before 5 in the morning.  More than I've seen in the past and more than what I would consider "usual."

So is everyone not getting enough sleep?  Is light pollution keeping more of us up than we realized?  Or are we so stressed out about world problems (I'm not going to even go there), that we turn to the light (turn on the light) to make us feel safe?  To keep the darkness from our door are we actually making things worse for ourselves?  (Or at least for our sleep patterns?)  Is this some sort of vicious circle?  (Is this post some sort of vicious circle?)

We need light.   We need light in our lives not just to see, but to give us comfort and warmth.  We need dark too.  It tells our bodies that it is time to rest.  We all NEED rest.  (And I'm guessing most of us don't get enough of it.)  We need a quiet, dark place to close our eyes and cast away the cares of the world.  (If we can because I know there are many.)

How do we achieve this?  I don't have answers for that.  I can only encourage you to turn on the light when you need it and turn it off when you don’t.  We need light; we don’t need light pollution.  We need to be safe and secure, but glaring light isn’t going to provide that. (Even though it may feel like it.)  Embrace the light, especially the natural light, but allow actual darkness (I’m talking lack of light; not evil) in as well so that you can rest.  Let light have its time; let dark have it’s time…it’s only natural?

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