Dark Days and Bright Nights Associated with a Dose-Dependent Increase in Mortality

[@Medcram]

For more videos and continuing medical education units, please visit us at MedCram.com 

[@VeganLinked]

Please, at 3:52 when you are talking about dose response curve, you said not in terms of lux but in percent. What is a percent of light? It would be great to know if a certain Kelvin matters and if blue light blockers help. Are you suggesting that we don't use lights at night at all? Or could we use a very dim lux with a low kevin? Also, when you start honing into the models and times of day, model 3, nuance seems to be key kind of here maybe not I don't know. But you say the most benefits between 7 and 8 but it looks like it's more between 5:00 and 7:00 at the latest. I still don't know what kind of light you're talking about. You're saying looking into the Sun. Are you suggesting we look into the sun literally? I know in previous videos you have the angle of the sun has an effect on triggering the circadian rhythm and maybe melatonin production. So maybe you do literally mean staring at the Sun or in the direction of the Sun at least. It sounds crazy to say staring at the Sun but some supposedly sun gaze. Perhaps if this whole angle of light and Kelvin matters it would be best to only use night lights around 2,800 to at most 3,400 Kelvin low to the ground outlets presumably would be between the hours of 7:00 p.m. And 7:00 a.m., do you concur? It would be really sweet to have a better graphical presentation with more precise numbers and something with an easier to digest layman's takeaway since we don't have the actual studies to dig deeper.

[@loris3595]

Patients in ICU and old people in nursing homes could benefit from more light during the day and less at night!

[@Jennifer-gr7hn]

yeah, like those poor souls in "memory care" facilities where they do NOTHING for their memory, such as what they can do like IV chelation, remove amalgam fillings, detox them from mold (those facilities are horrid for mold, s are hospitals). I agree! Always for those who are locked in their houses by choice and addiction to their phones and internet

[@Medcram]

Exactly!!!

[@flagmichael]

@@Jennifer-gr7hn My wife worked in geriatric care for most of her nursing career. The big factors are always the classics: Alzheimer's and multi-infarct dementia (MID). However, social isolation is a major factor until the end draws near.

[@laurelthompson6167]

sadly, it may be too late for the nursing home folks...😢 We need the sunlight as we age.

[@anniebeanie710]

When i used to work night shifts, i found it felt best for me to sleep twice a day. First half for few hours right after the night shift, then get up and be normally active during the day and enjoy the light and then in the evening right before night shift. That way i was able to sleep reasonable amount of hours and had free time during the best hours of the day :). If felt almost like having 12 hour days with one being work day and other being free day.

[@flagmichael]

Same here! I just started working nights a couple months ago but I quickly found I only slept a few hours when I got home and then needed a few hours nap before work. With the wisdom of our good doctor I also learned to get out and get moving in the sunshine while I could. Somehow it feels right.

[@VeganLinked]

This is so fascinating to me. It reminds me of a friend who works outside everyday doing gutters for a living. He smokes cigarettes all day and has a relatively horrible diet as far as I'm aware. And he's significantly older than a lot of people I know yet he appears to be significantly healthier than a lot of them despite his smoking habit, diet, and age. I've always felt like it was his exposure to the Sun because he has always had a nice tan and I knew he worked outside all day.

[@VeganLinked]

Now if only that friend would also eat his greens like he should and take advantage of the Sun interacting with the chlorophyll in his blood to produce ubiquinol... And legumes for the health of his colon and overall cardiometabolic health this dude would be the healthiest cat I know especially if he would throw the cigarettes out... Maybe have some cruciferous vegetables give him a hand with that sulforaphane...

[@yasmine4754]

​@@VeganLinkedAnd use sunscreen, lol, because he still gets lots of UV exposure whereas if he used sun screen he would get rid of that factor but would still get the benefits of infrared.

[@beverlyanderson347]

VitD from the sun and melatonin are 2 deficiencies Worldwide that are causing diseases that kill us - particularly cancer's!

[@asnark7115]

There's a LOT more to the circadian rhythm being "in synch" than light exposure. There's when you eat, when you exercise, when you read and think, when and how you eat, when you nap,..

[@suzannelooms7658]

Excellent. It's good to see further studies that look at a range of data on the subject of light at different times of the day. I'm very conscious of seeking more light as a result of your videos (as well as encouraging others to do the same.)

[@Medcram]

Thank you!

[@LAMETEOQUEVIENE]

Brilliant, as always, Dr Roger Seheult! Thanks a lot for all your work... in daylight!!

[@AmazingPhilippines1]

Light, like sound, is energy, and quite likely to have effects on humans. Thanks for this info. Watching from the PHILIPPINES. My business in the USA was noise control/acoustics so I especially appreciate these energies.

[@laurelthompson6167]

we live in a soup of energies here on earth and we are only beginning to understand. It affects all life forms; plants and animals....

[@sooma-ai]

A study shows that brighter daytime light exposure and darker nights correlate with lower mortality risk. Personal light exposure data from 88,000 individuals reveals a dose-dependent relationship between light timing and all-cause mortality, especially for cardiometabolic diseases.

[@shakeyj4523]

Ok, so what are you supposed to do during all those dark hours? Sit in the dark staring at the wall?

[@LindaMcification]

You poor thing! You seem to be having a bad day. Chill...❤​@@shakeyj4523

[@LindaMcification]

​@@shakeyj4523meditate❤

[@raykinney9907]

@@shakeyj4523 Well, since we became evolutionarily adapted, for untold thousands of years, to staring into firelight after darkness sets in, I'll bet that the wavelengths coming from firelight are FAR better to be exposed to than our typical lighting at night currently! And, I get a lot of pleasure being around campfire or wood stove/glass panel viewing (or spark screen) light for several hours before going to sleep. However, my downfall is using an old computer too far into the night frequently, w/o IRIS or other app for 'blue light' reduction, guess that that might be a good reason to get a "Daylight computer", and use it outside the house as much as possible to avoid having exposure to LED or fluorescent light at night. I think that restorative sleep might greatly improve!?!

[@deepakhiranandani6488]

​@@shakeyj4523 Sleep, what else!

[@esfromec]

Great job at presenting this information. Thanks for putting this out.

[@Paul-dorsetuk]

stop fiddling with that phone and get outside immediately!

[@allenaxp6259]

Excellent Video, Thanks!

[@sapelesteve]

Very interesting topic of discussion Doc! Yet another video that I have to send along to my cousin (M.D.) for viewing! This is a wake up call for those of us that really need to get outdoors and into the sunlight more often! Thanks and hope that all is well! 👍👍💥💥

[@donaldkraft7371]

Nice presentation, makes sense why vitamin’ ‘D’ levels are so low today , too much evening light. And avoid the sun exposure.

[@flagmichael]

I think the Doctor introduced the vitamin D issue in "The Vitamin D Paradox in COVID-19 and Why It Predicts But Doesn't Always Protect."

[@jasonhertzberg4818]

As someone with delayed sleep phase disorder, this doesn’t surprise me!

[@flagmichael]

Oh, great! To make ends meet I work graveyard shift (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) three days a week at age 72. However, I make a point of walking in the sunshine for at least half an hour (sometimes a couple of hours) per day. C'est la vie (and thanks for clueing me in about sunlight!)

[@flagmichael]

A follow-up: yesterday I watched "Teenage Boy with H5N1 Flu in ICU in Canada" and was motivated (I'm not as dumb as I look!) to go for a walk this afternoon. I'm blessed with a trail system in a pine forest less than five minutes drive from my home; I got about 2 1/2 miles of walking in sunlit beauty and I feel great! I can't quit my job, and I do well on the night shift, so I have to compensate as opportunity allows. This time I had to do it without my hiking partner, my 17 year old grandson (who has just started his first job) but there will be more times. Without your encouragement I would never have figured out how to keep my health up.

[@sueyoung2115]

Thanks, Dr.Seheult! This subject of NIR is entirely fascinating to me. I guess there's nothing new under the Sun! (Pun intended). Your presentation gives a multi study statistical back up to an old concept. Even in ancient Greece, the healers practiced heliotherapy. If there wasen't a benefit from it, no one would have bothered. It seems that this tiny rabbit hole leads to a huge field of under employed healing practice. Thanks for the ongoing dialogue.

[@Medcram]

Very true!

[@44rpalermo]

Thank you Doctor, your series on light exposure is extremely important and informative. My questions are, how do I balance my outdoor light exposure with UV exposure dangers? I saw your episode on NIR light penetration of fabrics and different colors of fabrics, but too much fabric can limit UV exposure and the benefits UV light might have. More information is needed. I have started using UV, Blue, Green light blocking glasses after 9 pm to limit my night light exposure. I wear the kind that cover my prescription glasses. They are cumbersome but really block the light from most angles. Thank you again for the information.

[@toycarpgmr]

When I was young, we were outside most of the time. In summer we were outside all day running around. I seldom get sick, normal weight, do not require any prescriptions and in good physical condition.

[@VeganLinked]

The current takeaway for me (based on this video and other medcram videos) is between 7:00 p.m. And 7:00 a.m. only use low Kelvin (around 2,800 at most 3,400 Kelvin) night lights and near the ground presumably where outlets would be. Then stare in the direction, rather than directly into, the sun as much as possible between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.. and this would be taking advantage of the angle of the most powerful light hitting the eyes to anchor circadian rhythm and melatonin production on a cellular level in the morning to protect from midday radiation and in the evening triggering the pineal gland gland for melatonin production to encourage sleep which is also a antioxidant for brain health. However the infrared exposure in the morning may be sufficient just by being outside since it reflects off of everything especially green things like plants. And it may be that only a half a minute of this exposure is sufficient to trigger the circadian rhythm. But I'm not clear on the most beneficial exposure times especially in respect to the need for direct sun exposure.

[@dorislau-bertinelli5032]

Thanks from the bottom of my heart

[@RichRich1955]

I talked my wife into putting up some skins over the cave entrance to keep light out except the wood smoke from the fire can get bad in our cave.

[@Medcram]

lol. Soon they’ll be inventing a chimney.

[@horsevideosbymary2723]

Except the fire you refer to produces near infrared light that produces melatonin!

[@KarenParkerArtist]

​@Medcram @RichRich1955 Don't need a chimney. Just a firepit and 2 earthen air channels (ditches). One for fresh air coming in and another to carry the smoke away. (Outside the cave) Good KZbin reference videos out there, for those with electricity.

[@TheDazy37]

Can't he get some NIR from his caveman fire? ​@@Medcram

[@VeganLinked]

We have to be "leery" not "weary" of that, although it would be good to be weary at night...

[@flagmichael]

I get bleary. That is clearly and sincerely what I need.

[@Seanonyoutube]

Did this study account for people with a consistent late schedule who intentionally get light at in afternoon and night and keep things dark around sunrise and while they sleep through the morning?

[@mariesimpson7613]

During the lockdown most people stayed indoors much more than usual. In some countries, people were not allowed outside at all, for months. That might explain the worldwide excess deaths we are seeing now.

[@user255]

The first study was far from convincing, but the second one is much better. I think we need to understand few things here, before any conclusions: - Why some people are exposed to light at night? Something to do overall life style, maybe something that wasn't controlled? - The same, but for lack of light exposure at day. - What would be the mechanism for this? Does example melatonin supplementation have any effect on this?

[@flagmichael]

There are a lot of people who work through the night. I'm working night shift 3 days a week at a convenience store to make ends meet. It goes without saying we have customers all night, including police and sheriffs. On the bright side (he he) I get several hours outdoors in the daytime even on nights I work. Fortunately, at 72 I'm too old to die young. I'm serious about my observation: _As we age mortality becomes more a promise than a threat; we don't have to do this forever._

[@PsychNurse.]

I've been working overnight x 40 years. 7p-7a....

[@flagmichael]

Do you have any wisdom to share with this recent addition to the graveyard shift?

[@PsychNurse.]

​​@@flagmichaelI'm sleeping daily without window shades ☀️. My overnight work area is as bright 😎 as possible. The overnight inpatient Behavioral Health Unit & Emergency HI-C area keeps me busy, awake 😳. My best habit is drinking cold spring water, minimal caffeine 🍵.

[@jetsetter8541]

Interesting research. Changing time zones on long haul flights is my concern & how to adapt fast to like 14 time zones away. Going away for 4 months I keep my old time regular routine & slowly the daily circadian clock helps to convert to local time. Circadian Rythm Symcronicity is essential for body's regular functions & the routine I build around workout in the gym then everything naturally follows , like getting tired then sleep , hunger. 2hrs breakfast before gym ...etc beach time , sauna & cold dip usually gives appetite for dinner always listening to the body after some workout. So Mornings gym is for workout & Evening some cardio & sweating in sauna .

[@Medcram]

Got you covered: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXraeYyXed6mraMsi=jHjzNeowEBdfTHtn

[@firegardendevine6039]

Living north of the 35th parallel has always taken it's toll on my wellbeing both mentally and physically November-February. The fact I spend most of my time outdoors during the other months probably amplifies my SAD due to greater peak to peak amplitude. How to bring the sun inside the home during the hazy shades of winter?🧐

[@Medcram]

It’s of the utmost importance to get outside especially in the winter.

[@TheCatsafrican]

you can get sad lights

[@stevenveltrie1868]

Any chance you could watch DR Campbell on Turbo Tumor's. Would like to hear your input. Any studies, etc.

[@Ron-kn6ur]

Getting enough sunlight depends on where you live. The weather forecast for West coast of Canada is cloudy and rain for a week. Maybe get near infrared light bulbs.

[@bettymaverick1098]

Could this be actually related to day time activity level outside rather than the actual light received? Also, again it seems sun glasses may be harmful to humans. But I am turning my nightlight off now for sure and seeking more light(again).

[@tunneloflight]

It us the blue light. Even the blue from streetlights invading your home is enough.

[@beeyoutiful]

I would love to see cities and towns make ordinances to gradually change over all public lights (at least) to amber, for those who must be out at night. Would that be something beneficial for hospitals and nursing homes to implement?

[@MetaverseAdventures]

Thank you for this video.

[@barrettkeller9855]

Wow. Great information. Thank you.

[@dahlia695]

I'd be curious to see now vitamin D, cholesterol, and melanoma factor in to all of this.

[@flagmichael]

Melatonin rather than melanoma, perhaps?

[@dahlia695]

@@flagmichael I meant balancing sunlight exposure which affects cholesterol and vitamin D levels but also has a risk of melanoma.

[@MomAndBabyCareHazel24]

00:32 Fascinating! I had no idea melatonin was not just about sleep but such a powerful antioxidant! 🌒 This emphasis on blocking out all nighttime light is a game-changer for health. Really curious to hear more about near-infrared radiation’s effect on our mitochondria - bring it on!

[@Medcram]

You like this then: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYnJgKeHoK2fn8ksi=SdQv5iXyp6waQ6gb

[@yasmine4754]

I work in a hospital on a step down unit and I feel very fortunate to have a daysift position. But if you're a nightshift person, I wonder how you would be able to counter the negative effects of light exposure all night long. I wonder if it could be balanced out with outdoor activity, but it would probably take a huge amount of time outside to balance out those negative effects.

[@catcan221]

It would be good for a study to look at the "type of light", i.e. artificial blue light vs. red light at night.

[@HisLove4You]

Thank you so much

[@IainMcClatchie]

Seems like the most important effect was bright light at 6pm. Okay, how bright? Office environments are typically 400 lux, and as you say when the sun is directly overhead we get about 100,000-120,000 lux. But sunsets are much dimmer: on a clear day at sunset, the ambient light is about 400 lux, the same as an office! However, around sunset the light is very red. An hour before sunset is going to be much, much brighter, because the sunlight travels through far less air. So would office lighting be okay if around 6pm it got more red but not dimmer than 400 lux?

[@raykinney9907]

Thank you, even more clarity! I am at 45 degrees N. latitude, and am very curious about more northerly latitude seasonality of light affecting these results. And, very curious about wavelength assessments within this general scheme of assessment! NIR, UVA, UVB etc.

[@christopherlaborde1670]

Is there any research that backs the idea that blocking out certain spectrums from your eyes at night may reduce the mortality risks for shift workers at night?

[@markki5061]

Hi! As med student, I would like to ask, where do you stumble on these kind of interesting, high quality studies. Do you have like 50-100 publications you follow actively, or do have something else. I Would like to learn to find these myself too. Thanks a lot in advance!

[@shakeyj4523]

Most Universities have research databases that you can subscribe to. My question is how did you get a science based bachelors degree and not know that? Get access to a database. You really should know how to distinguish between low and Gold Standard research yourself. I'm shocked that as a med student they don't teach you this. Then again, Med School is more of a Fraternal trial than an education. It's a bit medieval as you are likely finding out.

[@LindaMcification]

​@shakeyj4523 look in the mirror and focus on your own glitches. We are all learning including you. It will make you feel better

[@markki5061]

@@shakeyj4523 Be as shocked as you want and cry me a river, I am first year student. The more you help your student gets, the more educated he becomes. There is no need to do things "medieval" in modern days and luckily our professors are not like you. They have long been kicked out of the university. I was asking how to find these good articles myself, since there is millions of quality publications and no one has time to read them all. Greetings from Finland.

[@Medcram]

When you start talking about these sorts of things and are on social media, people feed you this information. In this case I follow Eric Topol. His posted this study a week ago or so.

[@Medcram]

In his defense, I would say that having access to a database gives you thousands and thousands of studies that you can’t possibly review. Medical schools do a very good job of teaching how to sort through this and find evidence-based journals.

[@bekibrady]

How do you feel about Earthing or grounding, with sleeping better and less inflammation?

[@thisgustin]

So night shift working is bad… (?)

[@yengsabio5315]

But the 'night owls' might disagree. Ahehe!

[@Alpha_Omega_1541]

My wife and I worked nights for 10 years and we both devolved cancer. We both exercise, eat somewhat healthy, not overweight, don’t smoke nor drink. I know it’s an anecdotal, but makes me wonder.

[@Medcram]

Interesting.

[@tunneloflight]

The problem is the blue and cyan light. The ipgrc cells in the eye see this light (melanopic light) to detect that the sun is up. They then signal the pineal gland to NOT produce melatonin. That suppresses the circadian sleep rhythm and the daily hormone cycle. And that leads to immune failures to deal with cancers, with the end effect of increasing hormone sensitive cancers. This happened first with fluorescent lights beginning in about the 1970s with an explosion of shift work. That blue light exposure caused the dramatic increases in breast and prostate cancers that have never been explained. It also is correlated with causing an explosion in heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression and suicide. So, yes. Shift work leads to cancer.

[@BODYCOACHable]

Extremely

[@VeganLinked]

What about low Kelvin lighting at night? What about the night mode on phones where it turns it kind of yellowish red? What about blue light blockers at night? Could all of that help?

[@VeganLinked]

Oh and those funny looking infrared hats people wear... Like Bryan Johnson :)

[@laurelthompson6167]

I am in search of a pop-up wind shelter tent type thing, something like an inverted umbrella that one could use to sit out in the sunshine on a colder day. Possibly with a reflective lining. Someone make this and I will buy it. I dont think clear plastic will work.

[@JoeBtfzplk]

Simple. Hunting and gathering during the day and sleeping in a cave. Not to mention that near infrared radiation is produced by your cooking fires.

[@Emerson-l5b]

What about night shift workers? Is it the opposite? ...you need light at night and no light during the day to get the same benefit.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Do you have any idea what the astronauts do to get a healthy dose of light? Do they somehow filter the light out in space, or do they sunbathe in some kind of full-spectrum UV-to-IR lamps? Of so, is there such a thing that civilians could buy? Like what about people who work shift work and are mostly asleep during the day and do not get to see much daylight?

[@kdw75]

Or maybe people who are not healthy tend to get less light exposure during the day and more at night doing unhealthy activities. This doesn’t prove it is the light. That would be jumping to a conclusion.

[@Medcram]

Dose responsive curve is highly suggestive of causation. Bradford Hill.

[@kristingoettlicher3503]

Which infrared devices are good to purchase? Can they effectively substitute sun during the winter?

[@janiskw]

here in Australia the houses built in the 1950-60 have large single pane regular glass windows... ie we almost have glare in our family room as it faces east and north with full wall windows... i have tried going outside but as the neighbour house to the north shades us from low winter sun i cannot get sun until around 10:30am... while the sun still shines into our family room... in summer the higher sun is good at 730am outside... and mostly misses inside as we have 18inch eaves... Is inside in that situation OK? it keeps me out of the rain... and even on gloomy days has a lot of light although not as much as outside?

[@janiskw]

oh and summer months we go to the beach and that house has 1/2 acre garden and sitting outside under a tree is great most days all day... only the hottest days we head inside and again full wall windows on many walls...

[@chocojavachip]

Does the light at night matter as far as the source of the light?

[@majo3423]

Dr. Seheult Do you still wear masks when you fly?

[@carl13579]

What about reverse causation? Sick people are indoors all day and hooked up to light-emitting machines at night.

[@Medcram]

They were excluded in this study.

[@marcinwaach7639]

So smokers may be healthier as they nowadays go out during day when those not smoking stay indoors

[@nancykisich3263]

My sister has the early indications for ATTR-CM. she had Epstein Bar in the 80s and has always had serious allergies to cats & peanut butter. 1. Are there any studies looking at long COVID causing ATTR-CM? & 2. Would u make the same recommendations about using hydro-therapy & PBM to address cellular inflammation for someone like her? Thanks❤

[@Systematiclol]

I'm not getting any of your videos on my feed anymore, did you hurt KZbin, do they think your misinformation?

[@saraht-ds1ml]

I'm sleepy everyday at 5 pm 😮

[@LeerinGray]

What does this mean for nightshift people?

[@Medcram]

Not good. I’m one too.

[@flagmichael]

Our host's videos about the subject have convinced me to get sun when I can. I only work three nights a week and now occasional add-on day short-shifts, but when I am off I enjoy walks and hikes with my grandson.

[@mavisemberson8737]

If you look at the city lifestyle of modern China do you find most people go to their office in cars and stay inside the buidings all day and so see very little daylight ? Does this affect mortality? .... I notice that ladies in China and Chinese tourists wear shady hats and try not to let sunshine get onto the skin of face and arms... I think this may be because it is not fashionable to let the sun darken the skin. So female officeworkers will wish to keep the correct complexion shade by not venturing out during daylight hours, I assume..... Is there a study of mortality which takes this behaviour into account ?

[@caustinolino3687]

If this were a study of younger people, it would be less biased. Younger people can more easily fall into night shift work as they pay their dues in many different fields. By the time you get to 40+ year olds, youre talking about a very particular set of circumstances and attributes that cause someone that age to work nights. Im very skeptical that can be accounted for, and certainly demographics and income don't do it.

[@Medcram]

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9149517/

[@CrisEdmundson]

Oh goody! I guess as someone with an extremely severe circadian rhythm disorder I can look forward to dying sooner in ADDITION to being miserable 🙃

[@flagmichael]

...but you won't be miserable as long!

[@CrisEdmundson]

@@flagmichael at least I got that goin for me 🥹

[@SuzanneTheme]

Keep walking your dog😊

[@what163]

If we understand as primitives we would hunt during day and rest at night, I will stick with that circadian rhythm yo and live into my 100's

[@shakeyj4523]

And yet those primitives rarely made it to 50.

[@sueyoung2115]

​@@shakeyj4523yersinia pestis, saber toothed tigers, tooth infection, unsanitary childbirth, fleas, lice, rotten or scarce food. They had a tough life!

[@ea6051]

👍👍

[@RUcookoo]

So people of the Sahara have the longest lifespans

[@Medcram]

These are compared to each other within a population.

[@primate745]

Then I’m cooked!

[@OneDougUnderPar]

I think about the Physics Girl sometimes, the poor youtuber who has been bedridden with long covid for ages. Every time I hear about her or see clips, she's lying in bed.