Street Light pollution: Here’s putting the spotlight on what’s taking away your sleep

If you are revising your pollution vocabulary, then you would usually start with air, water, noise, earth and now add to it, light pollution. This is a real term and increasingly growing, especially in the urban ecosystems. Remember earlier when you used to hit the bed, the only source of light used to be the light strands of the moon rays? And today, you feel everything except the moon as skyscrapers block your views, tall street lights take over the space and LED patterns rule the streets, especially during festivals. These are the primary causes of what is today termed as light pollution and it affects the already disrupted sleep patterns. Here’s what you need to know about this emerging form of pollution.

Street Light pollution is real and even advanced studies and research show the same

If you thought staring at your screens for hours or binge watching your favourite shows is stealing away your good night’s sleep, think again. Once you switch off all the devices and room lights, you still remain blinded by the street lights. This is a growing concern in sleep deprivation and insomnia patterns. In fact, several studies including the Stanford University predicts street lights as a disrupter of good sleep. Here’s what makes street lights your sleep enemies.

High Intensity Lights: When you notice high intensity white or yellow lights falling directing on your face or ceiling, it becomes difficult to sleep. These lights are often not restricted by light curtains. Added to the lights, the activities on the streets also double up as shadows which may make scary figures on the walls, taking away your sleep.  

Blue Lights:  Another kind of light that might disturb your sleep is the blue lights. Studies have shown that blue lights have the tendencies of lowering melatonin from the body. This means it reduces attention span and makes you fidgety so that sleep doesn’t come easily. Moreover, low melatonin levels make you feel very uncomfortable at times.

LED Lights: During festivals, street or house decoration is a big thing. This includes lighting LED lights through multiple strings or patterned lights. The brightness of these lights often make it impossible to sleep at nights, apart from the regular noise outside the windows.

What are the ways out to protect yourself from street lights?

 To combat such a situation you can adhere to three common practices to begin with. First, use high quality, thick curtains that are dark coloured and blocks street lights. Second, have a strict sleep time so that no matter the distraction sleep comes to you everyday around the same time. Third, have a few pre-bedtime wellness routines. This includes strictly staying away from the screens and embracing books or journaling. For those with children, you can also keep them engaged with bedtime stories.

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