Is Your Child’s Bedroom Too Light?

It might seem obvious, but keeping your child’s bedroom dark is one of the best ways to prevent sleep disorders in children. Anything from a bright light to a dim screen in the corner can cause sleep problems.

How Light Affects Children’s Sleep?

Too much light at bedtime can have a significant impact on children’s sleep. Exposure to light can suppress melatonin levels by up to 90% and disrupt the body clock. It can make it more difficult to drop off to sleep and it can also result in poorer quality sleep during the night. All kinds of light can have some effect on sleep quality. During the summer months, the longer hours of daylight can make it harder to fall asleep while also waking children up too early in the morning. Other sources of light in the bedroom can also influence sleep disorders in children. Lamps, screens, nightlights, and even the small lights on electronic devices that aren’t being used can all cause problems. However, certain types of light are worse than others. The blue light that comes from computer, smart phone and TV screens is the worst as it has the biggest impact on melatonin levels.