Research revealed that exposure to light at night increases the risk of stroke
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| Stroke illustration (Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto/designer491) |
- A new study reveals that someone who is constantly exposed to artificial light at night may be at higher risk of having a stroke. These light sources include light from fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, and LED lamps.
The study, published in a scientific journal on March 25 2024, also stated that around 80 percent of the world's population lives in light-polluted environments. This is due to excessive use of artificial light.
One of the researchers at the public health department and endocrinology department of Zhejiang University School of Medicine Children's Hospital, Hangzhou, China, Jian-Bing Wang, said that although there are other factors that can be prevented to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as smoking, obesity,and type 2 diabetes mellitus, environmental factors are also important to pay attention to to prevent these diseases.
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The research was conducted on 28,302 adults living in China. The level of outdoor night light exposure is seen through satellite imagery which is able to map light pollution. Meanwhile, the association with stroke cases was confirmed through hospital medical record data and death certificates for residents in the area studied.
The research results showed that at least 1,278 people experienced cerebrovascular disease or disorders of the blood vessels in the brain, including stroke. The study also revealed that people with the highest levels of exposure to outdoor light at night had a 43 percent increased risk of developing cerebrovascular disease compared to those with lower levels of exposure.
Not only that, the risk of cerebrovascular disease is also up to 41 percent higher in people with higher levels of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 exposure compared to people who have low levels of PM 2.5 exposure. Exposure to PM 2.5 can come from emissions from burning gasoline or oil.
Other risks that you also need to be aware of are exposure to PM 10 and exposure to nitrogen oxide. Those exposed to the highest levels of PM 10 had up to a 50 percent increased risk of developing cerebrovascular disease compared to people with the lowest PM 10 exposure.
It was also found that people with the highest exposure to nitrogen oxide had a 31 percent higher risk of developing cerebrovascular disease compared to those with the lowest exposure. Nitrogen oxide can be found in emissions from cars, trucks, buses and power plants.
"Our study shows that higher levels of exposure to outdoor artificial light at night may be a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease," said Wang, quoted from Science Daily.
"Therefore, we advise the public, especially those living in urban areas, to consider reducing such exposure to protect themselves from potential harmful impacts," he continued.
Continuous exposure to these light sources at night can suppress the production of the hormone melatonin which functions to encourage a person to sleep. If it occurs in the long term, a person's circadian rhythm, including a person's sleep rhythm, can be disrupted.
In fact, people with poor sleep quality are more at risk of experiencing cardiovascular disorders in the long term. Life's Essential 8 from the American Heart Association also mentions healthy sleep as one of eight healthy lifestyles to support optimal cardiovascular health.
"We need to develop more effective policies and prevention strategies to reduce the disease burden caused by environmental factors such as light and air pollution, especially for people living in the densest and most polluted areas around the world," Wang said.
The relationship between sleep problems and stroke risk is also shown from other research published by the American Academy of Neurology. People who sleep less than 5 hours have a three times higher risk of having a stroke than those who sleep an average of 7 hours.
The risk of stroke is also found in people who experience breathing problems during sleep. The risk of stroke in people who snore can reach 91 percent compared to people who don't snore.
One of the researchers from the study, Christine Mc Carthy from the University of Galway, Ireland, said that various interventions to improve a person's sleep quality can help reduce the risk of stroke. However, someone also needs to pay attention to other risk factors for stroke, such as smoking, depression, and alcohol consumption habits.
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