Light affects night sleep

If your neighbourhood is well-lit at night, you may not be able to sleep well affecting your performance during the day, according to a study.

The study showing that night light causes sleep disturbances would be presented in April 2016 at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

"Our world has become a 24/7 society. We use outdoor lighting, such a street lights, to be more active at night and to increase our safety and security," said study author Maurice Ohayon from Stanford University, California.

"The concern is that we have reduced our exposure to darkness and it could be affecting our sleep," Ohayon added.

People living in urban areas are three to six times more exposed to night lights than those living in small towns and rural areas.

For the study, 15,863 people were interviewed on phone over an eight-year period and were asked about their sleep habits, quality of sleep as well as medical and psychiatric disorders.

Then, the researchers studied the amount of outdoor light, these people were exposed to at night.

The findings showed, people living in areas with more light are more likely to be dissatisfied with their sleep quantity than people in areas with a less amount of light.

People with huge exposure to light are also more likely to report fatigue than those with less exposure to light.

They are more likely to have excessive sleepiness and impaired functioning.

"Light pollution can be found in any sizable city in the world. Yet, excessive exposure to light at night may affect how we function during the day and increase the risks of excessive sleepiness," said Ohayon.