Not sleeping well? Turn off the lights–ALL the lights

Having trouble sleeping? Maybe your circadian rhythm just needs a little adjusting.

Your circadian rhythm, of course, is your sleep/wake cycle, and it’s largely influenced by light. When darkness falls, your body makes adjustments and hormonal changes that prepare you for sleep until light returns.

With this in mind, California music producer J.D. Moyer conducted a personal experiment.

During the month of June, he and his family turned off all the lights when the sun went down. No television, no computers, no lamps–he even unscrewed the 40 watt bulb in the refrigerator. They used candles if they needed a little light to find their way around or brush their teeth.

Very quickly J.D. and his family started turning in earlier. Sometimes as early as 9:00 PM.

On his blog (jdmoyer.com) he writes about the results: “In a nutshell: more sleep, better sleep, improved mood, and an entirely different rhythm to both waking and sleeping life.”

For most of us, sticking faithfully to such a schedule might be impractical. For instance, J.D.’s family tried the experiment again in February and found it much more challenging with short days and long nights.

Now J.D. and his family try to strike a balance, following the no-lights policy when they can, but often giving over to the demands of a busy life.

Bottom line: They’re generally sleeping better and feeling better.

J.D. writes: “Since the only thing we have in life is quality of our consciousness, and sleep deprivation so obviously and negatively affects the quality of our consciousness, it makes sense to prioritize sleep.”

Makes sense to me, but I’m guessing the team at American Idol wants their colleague to shut more than the lights…

Sources:
“Sleep Experiment–A Month With No Artificial Light” J.D. Moyer, The Blog of J.D. Moyer, 3/4/10, jdmoyer.com