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Comment by MrAwesome | Hacker News Reader

It seems like there has been a lot of buzz lately about the importance of reducing light exposure at night and the impact it has on your health. I can certainly speak to it anecdotally - getting a nice pair of blackout curtains and putting electrical tape over the electronics LEDs in my bedroom seemed to do wonders for my sleep.

A quick search for sources led me to this article, which has a nice collection of links to studies for those interested in learning more: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/light-an...

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I'm not convinced about blackout curtains being healthy. Why is it that when you go camping you feel so refreshed and good when the sun comes up and wakes you up?

Did our far ancestors use blackout curtains? How did they deal with the sun waking them up everyday? My guess is that it's the optimal way to wake up actually.

Your far ancestors didn't have to deal with light pollution and all sorts of city lights. I don't know where you live, but a lot of people live in cities, where this is a problem. If you live in the countryside or in very small cities, you may not have the same problem.

Our ancestors used to go to bed earlier and wake up in the middle of the night for a while before going back to sleep. Our schedules and concept of 'normal' (versus 'natural') has changed drastically.

For more info on the two sleeps:

The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps' -- https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieva... and the HN post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29886907

And Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biphasic_and_polyphasic_sleep

Street lights are too bright for sleep where I live, and I need to wake up with an alarm anyway so no waking up with the sun for me. It's a no brainer!

I set up an automation to slowly open my curtains when I want to wake up. It's a much nicer way to wake up than an alarm.

Yeah, as other commenters have said - the curtains are for bright city lights I can't turn off.

Personally, I have a simple electrical timer set to turn on a bright sunlight bulb at 6:30am, and I open the curtains during the day.

You're right on the money about camping and how it affects the body, in my experience. Light obviously isn't the only factor in camping feeling good - but I've also been reading lately that light exposure (and possibly direct sun exposure?) during the day is quite good for you.

Probably the fact that you’re breathing more oxygen when asleep while camping, vs a high CO2 level in your home bedroom.

I use a Philips wake-up light for that.

> Why is it that when you go camping you feel so refreshed and good when the sun comes up and wakes you up?

Because alcohol induces REM sleep?

It actually reduces REM sleep:

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/amh/if-amh-...

It can both induce REM, and reduce the length of total REM, yes.

The worst sleep I ever get is when I drink alcohol too close to bedtime.

I've done the same thing and it has significantly made me feel comfier at night.

There are other ways to improve your sleep quality as well! Don't use any electronic devices 30 minutes before bed or while in bed. Meditation before bed with deep slow breathing. A nice warm bath or shower. Sleeping on your side if you can.

For me, none of these things helped when I was really struggling with sleep several years ago. It turns out I had severe sleep apnea! If you aren't sleeping well, talk to your doctor and see a sleep specialist. I swear by my CPAP. Both my waking and sleeping life is infinitely better with it treating my severe sleep apnea.

Don't suffer in silence. If you're feeling unwell physically or mentally, talk to a medical professional. So much harm can be minimized and sometimes your ailment can be totally cured!

Plus one to if you're falling asleep in meetings, classes, driving, etc. please get checked for sleep apnea.

I spent too many years thinking that was normal, along with daily migraines.

This makes me feel less crazy for the black electrical tape on all the LEDs.

There are little semi-translucent black stickers you can get called lightdims or something, I use those. Doesn't fully block the light but makes it very faint but still visible which I like. Sometimes you need a couple. Does not help for things like routers which have a glaring sun inside them that reflects off the white plastic and blasts out of every single ventilation hole.

https://www.lightdims.com/

I use them as well.

The worst part is (IIRC) that blue LEDs are cheaper for the OEM, but worst in a dark room.

Is it just me or does a blindfold seem easier?

At least in my case I have to go to quite some lengths so that a sleeping mask doesn't slip off during the night; I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing while asleep to constantly work them off my head, but unless I really tighten them down, they don't help me much. Blackout curtains are much simpler.

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