PHONES AT NIGHT REDUCES SLEEP AND CAUSES DAMAGE ON KIDS

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Bright light before bed reduces melatonin in children.
Children who remain exposed to bright light for an hour before going to sleep have a lower production of melatonin a hormone related to sleep consolidation and the regulation of sleep and wake cycles.

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This effect is maintained at least 50 minutes after the lights go out, according to research
The study adds to an increasing number of findings suggesting that, due to structural differences in their eyes, children may be more vulnerable to the impact that light exerts on sleep and the biological clock.

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Although the effects of light have been studied extensively in adults, virtually nothing is known about how exposure to night-light affects the physiology, health and development of preschool children,In this study it was found that children are extremely sensitive to light."

Less melatonin at bedtime

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For the study, the researchers counted on the participation of 10 healthy children aged between 3 and 5 years. From the first to the fifth day, they fulfilled a strict schedule to normalize their body clocks and establish a pattern in the nocturnal increase of melatonin. On the sixth day, the experimenters created a dimly lit environment in the children's bedroom: they covered the windows with black plastic and changed the usual lights with low-voltage light bulbs. In this way, they made sure that everyone was exposed to the same lighting conditions. They also took saliva samples from the probands to evaluate the melatonin levels.
The following night, the children were invited to, for an hour, color drawings or play with magnetic chips on a table with a luminous surface of 1000 lux (similar to the light of a bright room). Then, they again took saliva samples to compare melatonin levels with those of the previous night. They found that they had reduced by 88 percent after exposure to bright light. The melatonin levels remained low for at least 50 minutes.

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«Light is the main" timer "of our brain clock» "We know that younger individuals have larger and more crystalline pupils that are more transparent than adults. This greater sensitivity to light makes them more prone to dysregulation of sleep and the circadian clock. "
Monique LeBourgeois

when light penetrates the retina in the eye at night, it produces a cascade of signals to the circadian system to suppress melatonin which in preschoolers can not only cause problems falling asleep one night, but also chronic alterations on the break. "The effects of light on night exposure can go beyond the dream.

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However, the researchers note that the sample of their study is small and that the intensity of light they used is greater than the one they emit, for example, an electronic device. In a forthcoming investigation they plan to expose 90 children to light of varying intensity to determine what light conditions affect the circadian system at these ages.

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At the moment they recommend parents to dim the light in their children's bedroom in the hours before going to bed.

REFERENCE :

• Bright light on screen hurts kid's eyes more

• smart phones and tablets causes more damage to kids

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