How the lighting in your home could be sabotaging your sleep

If you’re having trouble sleeping, your lighting could be to blame.

A seven-year Monash University study has found the lighting in the average Australian home is so bright it suppresses the body’s production of melatonin, a hormone which helps with sleep, by almost 50 per cent.

Associate professor of psychology at Monash University, Sean Cain, said lights in the home should be dimmed for three hours before bedtime.

“Light is like a drug in the evening. It’s alerting. It keeps you awake. It suppresses this hormone, melatonin, that helps you sleep,” he told Ross and Russel.

“If you can, try to use light that’s more orange.

“You’ll find that you get to bed on time, you get more sleepy and more relaxed in the evening.”

Professor Cain also suggests reducing screen use in the hours before bed to make falling asleep easier.

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