Health Benefits Of Darkness: 4 Reasons Why You Should Sleep In The Dark, Not With The Lights On

Is darkness good for your health 1

Do you love being in the darkness? Unlike what most people believe, darkness is delightfully beautiful. Darkness helps you find answers, silence, calmness and peace. Darkness brings clarity to the mind. But there are many other practical benefits of darkness that can make us healthier and live better.

Darkness is peace

What does darkness mean to you? Is it something you are afraid of? Is it something that soothes your soul? Do you run away from all the unknown things that hide in the dark? Or do you hide from the big bad world in the comfort of darkness where you can finally be your genuine self? Darkness can mean different things to different people. For me, darkness is home.ย 

benefits of darkness

Darkness allows me to be at peace with myself, my flaws, my insecurities and my imperfections. It allows me to shut down all the noise and drama of the world around me and focus on finding practical solutions to lifeโ€™s problems and challenges. Darkness comforts me. It gives me the strength to get up and fight again the next day. Darkness doesnโ€™t have to be about sadness, loneliness and depression. Darkness can be about inner peace, contentment, calmness and rejuvenation. Darkness can be about finding a new way to move forward.ย 

Related: What is Nyctophobia: The Fear Of Darkness?

But beyond the emotional reasons, there are a lot of practical benefits of darkness. When you are in a dark room, you get exposed to minimal visual stimuli that allows you to focus on your thoughts, relax your mind and make calculated decisions. As you are unable to see anything, you donโ€™t need to concentrate on anything specifically and you allow yourself and your mind to rest. As you feel more relaxed, it becomes easier for you to get better quality sleep, which undoubtedly has numerous physical and mental health benefits.ย 

But is it good to stay in darkness? While a nyctophile, an individual who loves darkness, can point out numerous other reasons they prefer darkness, let us check out some common benefits of darkness that can be helpful for all of us.

Health benefits of darkness

Understanding the importance of darkness is crucial, especially if you are someone who is afraid of the dark, because darkness is good for your health. Let us explore some of the benefits of darkness that can help us understand why we need darkness in our lives โ€“

1. Regulates sleep/wake cycles

Is it healthier to sleep in darkness? Darkness is crucial for maintaining our sleep-wake cycles, managing our circadian rhythm and improving sleep quality. Our sleep-wake cycle comprises the 24 hour daily sleep pattern that involves about 8 hours of sleep at night and 16 hours of wakefulness during the day. These waking and sleeping periods are regulated by two biological processes known as the sleep/wake homeostasis and the circadian biological clock (or body clock). Sleep/wake homeostasis helps our body sense how much sleep it needs based on how long we have been awake. Our circadian biological clock and circadian rhythms regulate the lows and highs of wakefulness and sleepiness during a 24 hour period. Darkness plays a vital role in this entire process. And this is one of the major benefits of darkness.

Related: How To Sleep Better When You Have Insomnia

When you stay in the light for a long period of time, for instance being in a well-lit room or being exposed to blue light of screens at night, artificial light will prevent your bodyโ€™s biological clock from figuring out the actual time of the day. This will affect the quantity and quality of your sleep. When you get too much screen time before sleep, it can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle and make it harder for you to fall asleep.ย 

Being in darkness helps to balance our circadian biological clock and keep it regular. This helps us sleep better, boost our mood, maintain body temperature, improves appetite and have energy to function normally during the day. When our body clock is in disharmony, you become vulnerable to developing various illnesses such as depression, hypertension, asthma and type 2 diabetes. The fact is, darkness benefits sleep and health equally.

darkness is good for your health

2. Boosts melatonin levelsย ย 

Our body can produce the hormone melatonin only when we are in darkness. Melatonin is released by the brain as a response to darkness which helps to keep your circadian rhythms regular and help us sleep. However, when we stay in the light even during nighttime, the production of melatonin is blocked which can negatively affect our sleep. But as melatonin is crucial for several other functions in our body, this can also affect our health adversely in the long run.ย 

Related: Warning Night Owls: Is Staying Up Late At Night Bad For Your Mental Health?

Melatonin production is surely one of the most remarkable benefits of darkness. Melatonin helps to fight several diseases and it prevents cancer cells from spreading, reducing the chances of prostate and breast cancer. Being in darkness helps your body to fight off cancer cells but when there is light in your bedroom at night, your body is unable to produce melatonin. This is true even when you are using your computer, watching TV or scrolling through your smartphone.

3. Improves sleepย 

One of the benefits of darkness is that it helps you sleep better and faster. As both circadian rhythm and melatonin production are associated with sleep, being in a dark room helps you get better quality sleep and help you go through the different sleep stages without interruption. As the human brain is remarkably sensitive to light, darkness helps us to relax and produce the sleep-producing hormone melatonin. Experts claim that when you sleep in the dark, devoid of any artificial light, you will sleep better and longer.

 benefits of sleeping in the dark

Getting a good nightโ€™s sleep can help us feel re-energized and refreshed the next morning, improve our memory and concentration, boost our mood, and make us feel more physically active. Better sleep quality is also associated with better weight regulation and blood pressure.ย  When you sleep in darkness, you become more active when awake during daytime. This is how darkness benefits health in humans and all other animals.

Related: How Screen Time Affects Quality Of Sleep And Overall Health of Young Adults

4. Manages hunger

One of the most significant benefits of darkness is that it helps to control our weight. When we stay in darkness, it helps to control our appetite by boosting the levels of the hormone called leptin, which regulates hunger. As high levels of leptin are released at night, we donโ€™t feel hungry while we are sleeping or when it is dark outside. This also had an evolutionary advantage as our ancestors had limited or no scope of using artificial light during the night.ย 

As hunting or foraging in the darkness of the night could be threatening to our survival and health, the increase in leptin levels reduces hunger and prevents us from putting ourselves in danger at night for food. As we go without food for hours during the night and while we sleep, it is considered a form of fasting. And thatโ€™s why the first meal we eat in the morning is known as โ€˜breakfastโ€™.

When you are exposed to artificial light at night, stay up late or have disrupted sleep, you become hungry in the middle of the night which leads to unnecessary weight gain, diabetes and obesity.

Related: What Is Night Eating Syndrome?

Sleep in darkness

Other benefits of darkness

Both light and dark have crucial roles to play in our lives. When the Sun sets and darkness takes over the land, melatonin starts to shoot up, our body temperature starts to fall and metabolism begins to slow down. We start to wind down and prepare to rest and sleep. Darkness is important to help us keep functioning normally and staying healthy.ย 

Here are some other benefits of darkness and why you need to sleep in a dark room โ€“

  • It helps you sleep faster and easier
  • It reduces your chances of developing type 2 diabetes and obesity
  • It improves your overall physical, emotional and mental well-being
  • It enhances your alertness and mental focus during the day when you are awake
  • It allows your eyes to rest. It protects your eyes and provides necessary relief
  • It makes your skin look younger even as you age by improving cellular regeneration during sleep

Related: Why Women Need More Sleep Than Men, According To Science

Now you know the benefits of sleeping in the dark and how it can help to improve your health.

Embrace the darkness

benefits of darkness

Darkness matters. For your mental, emotional and physical health. While darkness can be scary for some, it is undoubtedly highly beneficial for our health. Darkness is natureโ€™s way of letting us heal and rest. It allows us to connect with our inner self, slow down our mind and get some much-needed rest so that we can function to the best of our abilities the next day.ย 

So if you want to boost your health and get some good sleep, keep your bedroom dark when going to sleep at night to experience how it allows you to rest and rejuvenate yourself by getting some high-quality uninterrupted sleep. Thatโ€™s the power of darkness.

Related: How Sleep affects Your Mental Health


Is darkness good for health pin
Is darkness good for your health pin

— Share —

, ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Up Next

These 9 Morning Mistakes That Are Secretly Ruining Your Day

These Morning Mistakes That Are Secretly Ruining Your Day

A great morning sets the tone of a great day. Whether you wake up feeling refreshed or groggy, your morning habits play a huge role in shaping how productive, positive, and energetic you feel throughout the day.

Think about itโ€”do you start your morning scrolling on your phone, skipping breakfast, or rushing out the door? These common practices might feel like shortcuts, but they can derail your productivity before your day has even begun. Itโ€™s easy to fall into routines that feel harmless but actually chip away at your focus, mood, and motivation.

And the worse part is sometimes we know what we are doing in unhealthy, but continue because who doesn’t like those extra few minutes of sleep or checking whether they replied first thing in the morning. But this is your sign to stop.

By spotting (and ch

Up Next

The Role Of ‘Resilient Mindset’ In Healing

Resilient Mindset The Healing Power Of A Positive Mindset

Does having a positive, resilient mindset support healing? Discover how hope, and balanced optimism might influence the bodyโ€™s natural ability to heal!

Can we influence our body’s ability to heal through cellular communication?

Key points

It’s important to strike the right balance of optimism, hope, belief, and realism.

A hopeful, resilient mindset could promote positive changes at the cellular level and boost healing.

There are cases of people who have been given a fatal prognosis and changed their outcome using mindset.

Up Next

10 Self Love Habits for Women: Your Path to a Cherished Life

Must Know Self Love Habits for Women 3

How to love yourself more as a woman? Do you often struggle with understanding self love habits?

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Thereโ€™s a pressure for women to be selfless to the point of ignoring their own needs. This pressure can make it difficult for women to understand self love habits. If thatโ€™s the case for you, there

Up Next

8 Everyday Habits That Are Damaging Your Brain (And What To Do Instead)

Everyday Habits That Are Damaging Your Brain 1

We all do things we know we shouldnโ€™t- that we know are unhealthy. Skipping lunch because you woke up late for work, or staying up past bedtime binging on the new show on Netflix (because who can resist, right?). These might seem harmless, but some of these are habits that are damaging your brain.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Our brain is the most vital organ of our

Up Next

Yoga for Seniors: 7 Effective Yoga Poses that Older People Can Do

Yoga for Seniors Effective Poses 1

If youโ€™re an elderly person looking to improve your overall health and well-being, consider giving the gentle art of yoga for seniors a try.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Yoga is rooted deeply in Indian culture and is a pathway to vitality and well-being. It is one of the most effective holistic healing processes. It doesnโ€™t matter whether youโ€™re five or eighty-f

Up Next

Are Your Eyes At Risk? The Shocking Truth About Smartphone Vision Syndrome!

Are Your Eyes At Risk The Shocking Truth About Smartphone Vision Syndrome 1

Have you ever had blurred vision, sore eyes, or a headache after using your phone for a long time, particularly in the dark? If yes, then you might have Smartphone Vision Syndrome (SVS). Letโ€™s find out more about it.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

In this era of technology, we heavily rely on our smartphones. Whether itโ€™s checking emails and scrolling throu

Up Next

3 Hacks To Stop Negative Thinking: It Worked For Me!

Hacks To Stop Negative Thinking 1

As someone who struggled to recognize negative thinking in myself, it took some time to understand I was doing it as a self-defense mechanism. I felt like I โ€œhad toโ€ think negatively to keep myself safe. After a series of negative consequences, I discovered three easy steps to help stop negative thinking.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Negativity is not just in your