This Nighttime Habit Increases Heart Disease Risk

It produces higher heart rates and insulin resistance 

Mainstream medicine wants you to believe that the best things you can do for heart disease and type 2 diabetes are to take prescription drugs and manage your diet. 

Not by a long shot. 

Despite record numbers of prescription drugs and fad diets, these conditions remain some of the top killers in the world. 

Clearly, there’s more to beating these diseases than diet and drugs alone. 

Case in point: A new study highlighted a key lifestyle factor completely overlooked by most doctors that could be sending your risk of heart disease and diabetes skyrocketing.  

I talk a lot about your circadian rhythm because it has such a dramatic impact on so many aspects of your health. 

I wish more doctors informed their patients about it (but hey, that’s what I’m here for). 

And today, I’m going to share with you yet another way that having a disrupted circadian rhythm disrupts your health. 

Researchers found that exposure to artificial light at night can cause changes in the body that can increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 

They divided 20 people into two groups and studied them for two nights. One group slept in dim light, while the other spent one night in dim light and the second night in a room with the lights on (at 100 lux). 

In the morning, the group that slept with the light on had higher levels of insulin resistance, higher heart rate, and lower heart-rate variability. (This is the measure of variation between each heartbeat. Less variability is better.) 

These types of changes are significant because they can directly increase the risk of disease. 

And they happened after just one night!  

Imagine the damage caused by years spent sleeping with the TV or bedside lamp on. 

This was a small study, but it builds on previous research showing that sleeping with the lights on is associated with an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. 

One study in particular found that exposure to bright light during the day and dim light at night helps control blood sugar levels. 

Previous studies have also shown that exposure to light at night can increase the release of stress hormones and reduce deep sleep… two factors that can increase insulin resistance. 

The reason why the timing of your light exposure can affect disease risk is because of your circadian rhythm. 

Light is the signal that governs your body’s internal clock, which is important for everything from metabolism to hormone release to temperature control. 

In this case, the researchers found that light increases activation of the autonomic nervous system, which has the potential to increase heart rate and decrease insulin sensitivity. 

The bottom line is that for optimal circadian rhythm, you need plenty of sunlight during the day… and plenty of darkness at night while you’re sleeping.