How to Optimize Your Evening Routine

Today there are millions, if not billions of people living where there is a high level of artificial outdoor light at night. This is putting them at a much higher risk for breast cancer and thyroid cancer (Ehhh mmm....Big Cities, Apartment Complexes...).

Earlier studies have linked nighttime artificial light to breast cancer, and now a study published in the peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society reports the link also extends to thyroid cancer.⁠

Why would nighttime light lead to cancer? Here’s what we know…⁠

⁠👉 Light at night suppresses melatonin⁠

👉 Light at night disrupts the circadian rhythm⁠

⁠Melatonin modulates estrogen activity & immune function—both of which can influence hormonal cancers of the breast and thyroid. Circadian rhythm disruption has also been linked with other cancers.⁠

The take-home message here is that we should protect ourselves from artificial light at night and do our best to mimic the natural rhythms of day and night. So what are some simple things you can do?⁠

👍 Get yourself a pair of blue light blocking glasses for the evening time⁠

👍 Get black-out shades to keep your bedroom dark⁠

👍 Dim the lights in the evening hours OR use candles instead!⁠

👍 Turn off the TV, phones, and devices at least an hour before bed, at a minimum....read instead!⁠

👍 Keep a regular schedule for bedtime and waking⁠

👍 Get direct sunlight first thing in the morning!⁠

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Our bodies and hormonal systems work on a rhythm and respond to our habits and environment. Give your body a chance to recover at night by keep your room dark, avoid having a TV in your bedroom and even consider turning off the electrical circuits while you sleep. Yes, you heard that right, turn off your electrical circuits at night and reduce your exposure to a constant electrical field that could be leaving you “wired but tired”. ⁠

So tell us—how much light are you exposed to at night? ⁠

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Reference

Zhang D, Jones RR, James P, Kitahara CM, Xiao Q. Associations between artificial light at night and risk for thyroid cancer: A large US cohort study. Cancer. 2021;

https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.33392

Also https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijc.33016