Starry Night Lights has advocated for night sky friendly outdoor lighting for many years now. These are light fixtures which send all the light that they produce down onto the ground beneath them, where it’s needed, not wastefully up into the night sky in the form of light pollution. We have argued about how light pollution reduces our view of the night sky. We have explained how expensive it is to wastefully shine light when and where it is not needed. We have even raised the issue of how light pollution is a threat to nocturnal creatures. Well, researchers are continuing to study how light at night can affect humans. Study after study is uncovering more clues about how light at night impacts our health. The implications warrant our action.
A new study has found that chronic disruption of one of the most basic circadian (daily) rhythms — the day/night cycle — leads to weight gain, impulsivity, slower thinking, and other physiological and behavioral changes in mice, similar to those observed in people who experience shift work or jet lag.
The research, presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience is helping scientists better understand the neurobiological mechanisms behind circadian disruptions.
“Our findings have implications for humans,” said lead author Ilia Karatsoreos, PhD, of Rockefeller University. “In our modern industrialized society, the disruption of our individual circadian rhythms has become commonplace, from shift work and jet lag to the constant presence of electric lighting. These disruptions are not only a nuisance, they can also lead to serious health and safety problems,” he said.
If you think about it for a minute, this only makes sense. Humans have evolved over time under the influence of the day/night cycle. Everything about us developed with this as a foundational element of our world. Only recently, with the advent of electric lighting, have we been able to alter this. And, as you can see around you, alter we have. In many areas, it no longer even gets dark at night. True, it’s not as bright as daylight, but the effect of countless unshielded dusk to dawn outdoor lights in many towns and cities prevents it from ever getting truly dark. It seems, that too much of a good thing can be bad. Many people still have not made the mental leap to understand this, however.
For starters, outdoor lighting and other forms of night time illumination should comply with basic lighting guidelines. In a nutshell, light only where, when and in the quantity needed. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is. Unfortunately, looking around the country, it seems that most lighting installations (residential, commercial, governmental) miss the mark completely. No matter where you go, you’ll find outdoor lights that are on when they shouldn’t be. In the day time, when nobody is around, etc. Additionally, many of these lights send a large portion of the light they produce where it’s not needed or wanted. Many ‘decorative’ lights send more light up into the night sky then they put onto the ground beneath them. Even if you’re not an astronomer, this is senseless. This light provides no benefit whatsoever, and yet the cost is just as high as for productive lighting.
Lighting isn’t rocket science, for sure. However, since most of us living today have had electric lighting available to us our entire lives, we think we know all there is to know about it. This just isn’t the case. The thought that if some lighting is good, then more lighting must be better couldn’t be father from the truth. Lighting can be hazardous when used improperly. Both to us and to the creatures we share this planet with. As in many things, a little bit of thought goes a long way. Lights are added to improve visibility. Make sure that you shine light where it will be beneficial and not cause more harm than good. Lights should aimed where activity will occur. Indoors, this means that task lighting should point to your work area. Outdoor lighting should be aimed onto the ground only. This is where people walk and drive. A light shining into your eyes causes glare and reduces your ability to see. If this were inside your home, you’d put a shade on the fixture. The same principals apply outside.
Think before you illuminate!
