How to Avoid Light Pollution

How to Avoid Light Pollution

Overview

Tremendous researches show that light pollution has already affected our lives from many perspectives, physically and psychologically. With the development of technology and time, light pollution will become a major problem for people around the world. Learning how to avoid light pollution is the key to keeping healthy.

Four impacts of light on the human body

When the light reflected from the glass curtain wall blinds you, you can instinctively raise your hand to cover your eyes or avoid the light but are unaware of some light pollution and its hazards. In recent years, disputes caused by light pollution have increased year by year, and its impact on health has to attract our attention.

Upset, anxiety, and insomnia

Shi Ming, a sleep expert and deputy director of the Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Insomnia Medical Collaboration Center, said that although people sleep with their eyes closed, bright light will still pass through the eyelids and affect sleep.

If you always sleep with lights on, in the long term it will cause insomnia and is bad for your health.

Hormone secretion

Dr. Russell Reiter found that light shining on the retina at night reduces the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates circadian rhythms. Light robs the night, disrupts the rhythm of hormone production, and can lead to imbalances in the normal cycle.

Wu Xueyan, a professor at the Department of Endocrinology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that if children are exposed to too much light, the secretion of melatonin will decrease, leading to precocious puberty or excessive genital development. The secretion of other hormones also has a circadian rhythm. For example, androgen peaks at seven or eight in the morning, and light will affect this. Light pollution can also affect people's mood, which in turn indirectly affects hormone secretion.

Depression

Professor Randy Nelson of The Ohio State University said on January 21 at the American Neuroscience Annual Meeting: Excessive exposure to light at night may lead to depression. Nie Jing also said that light pollution can cause dizziness, depression, physical weakness, and other symptoms similar to neurasthenia.

If you are exposed to the color light in the dance hall for a long time, its ultraviolet rays will induce nosebleeds, tooth loss, cataracts, and even lead to leukemia and other cancers. Colored light sources are not only detrimental to the eyes but also interfere with the central nervous system of the brain.

How to avoid light pollution

1. Lighting functions and color matching
During decoration, different lighting methods should be selected according to different spaces, occasions and objects. For example, the bedroom lighting is relatively warm, the study and kitchen should be bright and practical, and the bathroom should be as warm and soft as possible. Generally, in interior lighting, the main light source is a cool color, and the auxiliary light source should be a warm color. In addition, from the perspective of the use of the room, the study, living room, kitchen, etc. should use cool-color light sources, while bedrooms, bathrooms, and balconies should use warm-color light sources.

Choosing proper lamps for room

2. Keep the light source stable
The stable light source avoids the phenomenon of alternating light and dark or flickering, which can protect eyesight and improve work and study efficiency. The direction and intensity of lighting should also be paid attention to; otherwise, strong light will directly enter the eyes, which will have adverse effects. The method of "secondary lighting" can be used to reflect the light after hitting the ceiling, which does not damage the eyes and adds a romantic atmosphere.

3. Reduce the effects of "light pollution" through proper lamps
The light sources commonly used in the room will have different lighting brightness and "light pollution" effects. Soft incandescent lamps mirror incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps cause less "light pollution" and can be used more in the living room. For local lighting, use shelf floor lamps with good shading to block more infrared radiation contained in such light sources.

4. Correct selection of tiles and paints
When home decoration, it is recommended to choose tiles with a small reflection coefficient. Due to the strong reflection of white and metallic tiles, they are not suitable for large-area applications. For study and children's rooms, consider using floors instead of floor tiles. If bright polished tiles are installed, small lights should be turned on at ordinary times to minimize "light pollution".

The application of paint is also very particular. Because light-colored paints have less impact on vision, in European countries, especially Germany, people have gradually used beige, light yellow, etc. to replace the dazzling white paint to paint the walls to reduce the high-brightness reflected light.

5. Plants improve the environment.
Planting flowers and plants in the living room introduce the fresh tones of nature into the room, which not only adjusts the indoor light environment but also makes people feel comfortable.

Overall, light pollution is around us everywhere, it is not easy to avoid the happening and developing of lighting surroundings, but you can try the recommendations mentioned to avoid the harms caused by light pollution.

Small tip: Do not use polishing powder at will on the metal part of the lamps. The dust behind the lamp should be cleaned with a dry cloth or duster. In the process of using the lamp, when an abnormal situation occurs, stop using it, cut off the power supply, and conduct an inspection.


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