How dark should my baby’s bedroom be:
Darkness is essential to our sleep and we know from numerous studies that even four minutes of bright light at the wrong time of day can have a negative impact on our melatonin levels, affecting our ability to go to sleep. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in response to darkness, that sends a signal through the retina, at the back of our eyes, to our brain that it is time for us to sleep and it initiates the body’s processes to prepare us for sleep.
But nowadays we rely heavily on artificial lighting enabling us to spend more time in the evenings doing chores, reading, relaxing or working; where would we be without it….well getting more sleep for sure!
So how can we ensure the lighting we use in the evening doesn’t impact our sleep…
- Firstly use dim amber or orange coloured lights for night lights. This type of lighting has the least ability to suppress melatonin. Think of how our ancestors would have sat around the flickering glow of a candle in the evening.
- Avoid looking at screens of any kind at least one or even two hours before bed. The blue light from screens has been proven to suppress melatonin.
- While getting ready for bed dim the lighting in the bathroom, using a mirror light or fitting a dimmer switch. Modern bathrooms are very bright making your body think it’s the middle of the day switching off essential melatonin.
- Your baby’s bedroom does not need to be pitch black. You can use a small glow plug-in night light in your baby’s bedroom; it should be just enough light to see your baby by.
- It’s fine to leave it on all night so the lighting levels remain constant, should you need to attend to your baby during the night.
- Then ensure you and your little ones have lots of bright light during the day. This will help boost your ability to sleep at night, as well as your mood and alertness during daylight.