Watching TV at night in the dark causes depression
Neuroscientist Tracy Bedrosian warned people not to watching TV in the dark, the scientists from the U.S., carried out experiments on hamsters .Researchers watched two groups of hamsters. The first group lived in a standard diurnal cycle: 8 hours darkness and 16 hours in normal daylight (150 lux). The second category of subjects lived the first four weeks of the experiment in 16 hours to the light level of 150 lux, and at night in low light (5 lux), which is equivalent to the light from the TV in a dark room.
After spending the behavioral tests, the researchers found that hamsters from the second group were generally less active during the day compared with those who lived in ordinary light conditions. In addition, they showed symptoms of depression, reducing consumption of sugar water, which is usually very fond of.
However, two weeks after returning to a standard light cycle, hamsters, who lived at night in the dim light, got rid of depression and became active as before.
"The good news for people who sit up late watching TV and the computer, is that you can remove the negative effect of staying in dim light, just returning normal routine" - quoted in the press release to the head of the research department of neuroscience doctoral student Tracy Bedrosian.
She notes that the findings of the study reinforce the existing theory that the constant exposure to artificial light at night plays a key role in the growth rates of depression among people over the last 50 years.
After spending the behavioral tests, the researchers found that hamsters from the second group were generally less active during the day compared with those who lived in ordinary light conditions. In addition, they showed symptoms of depression, reducing consumption of sugar water, which is usually very fond of.
However, two weeks after returning to a standard light cycle, hamsters, who lived at night in the dim light, got rid of depression and became active as before.
"The good news for people who sit up late watching TV and the computer, is that you can remove the negative effect of staying in dim light, just returning normal routine" - quoted in the press release to the head of the research department of neuroscience doctoral student Tracy Bedrosian.
She notes that the findings of the study reinforce the existing theory that the constant exposure to artificial light at night plays a key role in the growth rates of depression among people over the last 50 years.
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