Importance of Light for Health

Speaker 1 0:00

Over the last few weeks I have seriously banged on about blue light and also getting early daylight . Now , getting early daylight as you know , if you follow me on social media , I always carry on about sky before screen , meaning open the curtains and get that daylight before you start doom scrolling , lying in bed in the half darkness , scrolling lying in bed in the half darkness . I honestly and sincerely believe and have it on very , very good authority , that over the next few years , light bulbs will end up coming with hazard warnings and they will say hazardous if used at night . More in this podcast . Shift work can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be welcome to a healthy shift . My name is roger sutherland , certified nutritionist , veteran law enforcement officer and 24 7 shift worker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shift workers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rigours of shift work but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show and welcome to another episode of a Healthy Shift Podcast .

Speaker 1 1:26

I left you hanging there , didn't I ? And you probably think oh my God , roger's lost the plot . Well , let's just dive into it and then I'm going to give you the opportunity to form your own opinion in relation to this , because this is critical . It's really , really important , and the more I learn about it , the more I realize we're in trouble . And , yeah , what can I say ? So let's just talk about light . Now I want to make this as simple as I can possibly make it for you around light , and I'm not going to get into the scientific side of it and I'm not going to bang on . This is going to be very short and sweet , so that it's something that you can refer to and understand exactly what light we need and when and why and why it's so important that we avoid that blue light at night .

Speaker 1 2:17

Number one the first thing that we need to be getting is we have a circadian rhythm . Our circadian rhythm is like a swing and it swings backwards and forwards every single day . And if we don't get the light that we need in the morning , that daylight , now daylight . When I talk about daylight , I'm not talking about turning the lights on inside your house . Just to give you an idea , the lights inside your house , albeit that they contain blue light , they don't have sufficient blue light in them during the day to actually reset your circadian rhythm . This is why it's referred to as human beings . Today we live in a twilight zone because there's not enough blue light in the light to actually reset our circadian rhythm . And looking at your phone even looking at your mobile phone you're probably getting about 100 lux of light directly into the eye . It's not enough to stimulate your circadian rhythm either . So what we need to be getting is we need to be getting that daylight Now . I've always said sky before screen , so what I do suggest is people get up in the morning , hydrate , obviously , caffeinate , get their coffee and go outside into the daylight . Even an overcast day has approximately 10,000 lux of light and more than 20% of that light is blue light , and more than 20% of that light is blue light .

Speaker 1 3:44

Now , that blue light is the light that we need to reset our circadian rhythm . To explain to you , interestingly , I have learned over the last few months that we have a sensor in the eye which is our ganglion receptor cells , and those cells , believe it or not , contain melanopsin , which literally only detects blue light . Now , this is not the cones and rods in our eye , but this light detects blue light , these cells . Now , when these cells detect that blue light , what it does is it notifies our suprachiasmatic nucleus , which is our biological clock , and it tells us it's daytime . So once the receptor detects blue , it means okay , it's daytime Now . This is why we talk about avoiding blue light at night . But let me just back back , all right , let me just back back , all right . Once we detect this blue light , then what happens is our suprachiasmatic nucleus , our biological clock , then notifies the pineal gland that it is daytime out there and it stops the secretion of melatonin and that means that our body goes into its daytime cycle . If you would have it , that's probably the best way of explaining it . So the eye sees blue . Even when you're outside and you're walking and it's a gray and overcast sky , we still have more than 20% blue light in that white spectrum of light , all right . So the eye only detects that blue and then it tells the biological clock it's daytime , which notifies the pineal gland shuts down the melatonin . Okay , that's why we need to be getting that daylight early , because that's what resets our circadian rhythm and our body literally counts on it .

Speaker 1 5:42

Now , if you are a shift worker and you are really suffering with brain fog , suffering from fatigue , feeling really totally desynchronized from life . That's because your circadian rhythm is out of sync with what you're seeing , and this is called social jet lag , because what the body is doing internally doesn't match up with what it's actually seeing during the day or the night . Okay , so it's social jet lag . Now let's talk about what actually happens at the other end of the day . Now we need to get as much of this blue light as we can possibly get during the day , all day . So what happens is , when we get to the evening and that sun starts to set and we start to see those oranges and those reds , or it starts to get dark , the receptor in the eye recognizes that there is no blue , and when there is no blue , what it actually does is it notifies the biological clock hey guys , it's dark out here which means it triggers the pineal gland which releases melatonin .

Speaker 1 6:52

Now , we have always thought that melatonin is a sleep hormone and it is referred to as the sleep hormone . It's actually a hormone that is released upon the signal of darkness , and all melatonin does is it notifies the rest of our body that it is dark outside . I just want to talk about melatonin for a sec , because it is really , really important that all of you particularly you shift workers , but everybody in society today understands the role of melatonin . All right , so melatonin , as I previously stated , is a hormone that is produced in the pineal gland in the brain and it is primarily responsible for notifying the rest of the body that it is dark . So let's have a closer look at what its actual role is . So it's released upon darkness and then it is suppressed upon light . Bearing in mind , and go back to what I explained to you before , the eye only sees that blue light . It's looking for that blue light . If there is no blue , it considers it's dark and releases melatonin . If there is any blue light , it's not releasing melatonin at all . So it's a critical hormone .

Speaker 1 8:15

The most important thing for you to understand is this that melatonin actually has antioxidant properties . Once melatonin is released into the body , what it does is it lands on all the organs and the cells and it shuts them down to rest , and by doing that , it triggers that sleep . But what is imperative to understand is its antioxidant properties . Melatonin is an incredibly powerful antioxidant and what it does is it helps to neutralize those free radicals and reduces oxidative stress within our body . Now , this protective effect is crucial for our brain health and it may also play a role in preventing neurodegenerative diseases . Anybody for Alzheimer's or dementia . Melatonin plays a massive role in relation to this . You're inhibiting your melatonin , but you still think you can sleep . That's because melatonin doesn't play a role in sleep , but what it is . It's an antioxidant , and it's incredibly important .

Speaker 1 9:24

Another thing that melatonin is involved in is our immune system support . Melatonin has immunomodularity easy for you to say , immunomodulatory effects meaning it can actually help to regulate our immune function . Now , it is involved in enhancing immune responses and may also have anti-inflammatory properties , which are beneficial for our overall health . Now , as a shift worker , because of this desynchronized circadian rhythm that we just live with , we end up with inflammation in the body . Rhythm that we just live with , we end up with inflammation in the body , and this is because of the confusion around melatonin as well . So keep that one in mind .

Speaker 1 10:06

We also have seasonal biological rhythms and , beyond that daily sleep-wake cycle , melatonin is also involved in seasonal biological rhythms . It helps animals to adapt to changes in daylight hours with the seasons and , while less pronounced in humans , this function can actually also influence our mood and our energy levels throughout the year . Hello , seasonal affective disorder sad when we don't get enough light . So if you think about it , it's a penny drop moment that this is why a lot of people get sad , as in seasonal affective disorder , because they can't get the light that they actually need in the wintertime in sufficient daylight , and this is one of the biggest problems . It also has a potential role in mood regulation as well , and there's emerging research that suggests that melatonin may in fact influence mood and has been studied for its potential role in managing conditions like seasonal affective disorder and depression , and the connection likely stems from its regulation of circadian rhythms and sleep , both of which are closely tied to our mood .

Speaker 1 11:21

Interesting that circadian rhythm again is so important to our biological health . The other thing , and the surprising one , and this is why a lot of shift workers struggle to conceive and have reproductive issues is because melatonin is also involved in regulating our reproductive hormones , particularly in response to light , and in some animals it plays a role in controlling the timing of reproductive cycles , although its effects in humans are actually less clear , but we can be guided by certain things there as well . So what I want to say about melatonin in conclusion , just to sum it up quickly melatonin is a multifunctional hormone that primarily orchestrates the body's sleep-wake cycle . It responds to the body's sleep-wake cycle and also supports our immune function . It acts as an antioxidant . It influences mood and reproductive health . It's pretty significant , isn't

Impact of Blue Light on Health

Speaker 1 12:22

it ?

Speaker 1 12:22

Maintaining proper melatonin levels is essential for our overall well-being , and especially for shift workers who often struggle with circadian misalignment . Right , so now I've told you that it's that daylight that we actually need . And at night , I'm now about to tell you that that blue signal , which I told you about before , is in all of our home and work lights , and that blue spectrum , in that white light that we have , is actually suppressing the melatonin . So what it's doing is it's inviting all sorts of metabolic issues into your body Our seasonal biological rhythm , its potential role in mood regulation , reproductive health , immune system , our antioxidant properties . Just think about it If you are in a house that has rich blue , pump blue lights in your house , what you're doing is you are actually suppressing that melatonin , that natural melatonin production , and by doing that you're exposing yourself to all kinds of disease .

Speaker 1 13:35

And in fact , I can categorically tell you that science shows that since the invention of the blue pump light bulb or the light bulb that pumps a blue light out of it . Breast cancer has increased by 50% and we all run around in today's society and we wonder why cancer is so prevalent in our life and we wonder why people are getting sicker and we wonder why people are getting fatter . Because I can tell you categorically blue light and blue rich light actually increases your hunger and while people don't realize this , but while you're sitting in front of your TV or your screen at night snacking away . That's not normal to do , that , it's not . But what it means is that blue light that you're getting is actually feeding this hunger or causing this hunger , and causes you to continually snack . And let's be honest , we don't cut up an apple and snack on that , do we ? We're eating the chocolate , we're eating the chips , we're eating the lollies , we've got the Doritos .

Speaker 1 14:41

We're doing a pretty good job of eating highly palatable carbohydrates and fats at a time when melatonin has triggered to our body that it's dark outside , and this is why we are so insulin resistant . Our body's not releasing the pancreas , the pancreas is not releasing the insulin that it should be and our digestive tract is shut down . Which iscreas is not releasing the insulin that it should be and our digestive tract is shut down , which is where we find we have the trouble . Now , one of the biggest problems that we have is how do we avoid this blue light ? And this is a massive issue now because we have let's be honest , we've got salesmen from the government now coming and knocking on our door and offering , for free , to change all of our internal light globes to these blue pump uh , white light leds , and they're doing it because it's low cost , but what they're actually doing is making you sicker .

Speaker 1 16:25

And once you get your head around that and you start to realize that this is occurring and that you are going out there trying to save a dollar in actually putting these blue pump led lights or blue pump lights into your house , what you're doing is you're actually making yourself sicker , and you may not realize this , but this melatonin plays a massive role in our body , as I have explained before , and while we , as shift workers , have a massive issue in getting the right light at the right time , there are ways that we can actually do it . So let's just cover off on a couple of those ways that we can do it . So what we need to do , to start off with , is we need to get that sky before screen . So when you wake up , you need to give yourself five minutes to wake up , let the brain wake up , let everything wake up to start off with , and then what you need to do is you need to open your blinds and you need to be by the window and get that daylight , or get your coffee and get outside and get that daylight , because once that resets that circadian rhythm , it suppresses the melatonin , it actually puts you in a position where your body is up and about and you will start to really thrive and you'll do really well during the day .

Speaker 1 17:41

Shift workers that I coach really thrive on this theory of getting up and getting out , getting the light and actually going to the gym or going for a walk or getting some sort of movement early in the day and you only need half an hour , 30 to 45 minutes . So get up , get out in the light and have a walk , because even that dull , dreary day is enough Through the day . We need to get that light While you're inside and I'm talking to you nurses here , or people working in call centers while you're inside and you're working in these buildings that have blue , rich LED light inside and they seem bright , there is less than 20% blue light in those lights . Now , while 20% blue light is too much blue light at night for us , it's insufficient blue light to maintain our circadian rhythm during the day , and this is a problem as well . So we need to be making sure that we are getting that outside daylight to keep that circadian rhythm functioning properly . So when you think of the shift worker that crawls out of bed , not getting any daylight , going to the couch and sitting there and watching TV all day and then getting up and going to work again that night , it is no wonder that they are suffering from severe problems around diet , exercise and they have all sorts of cardiovascular issues in their body because of the lack of melatonin , and the body is so confused it's not sure whether it should be awake or asleep , and this is because of the lack of light .

Speaker 1 19:16

Light plays a serious role Now . When we get to the evening on those days off , we literally need zero blue light , less than 2% blue light in all white light in the house , in fact , in all light in the house , and this is why I will say to you , and I will categorically say , that within a few years years . Light bulbs will come with a hazard warning on it that they're hazardous if used at night , because they have greater than two percent blue light , and scientists and government and researchers are all well aware that this is a massive issue , but they don't have enough blue light in them during the day to actually reset our circadian rhythm and run properly on a daytime mode . So the question that I ask you is how do you reduce it ? And you can use blue light blocking glasses , and no one wants to walk around their house with blue light blocking glasses on at night , but we've got to reduce our screens and the lighting that we are actually using in our house , and they're dime a dozen these days . You can actually pick up zero blue light bulbs and put them in your main living areas and put them in your bedside lamps and put them into your ensuite or your bathrooms or your toilets or your kitchen or whatever . This lighting is readily available and you have a right to healthy light in your house and you also have a right to healthy lighting in your workplace , because then , looking at your workplace and deciding that the lighting is at the right level is not looking at the biological health of you , the employee . What it's actually doing is it's just looking at the light level for eye strain , but we need to be looking at zero blue light , and these circadian lights are now well and truly available in Australia for people and worldwide for people and employers to be able to put into their workplaces , and there's hardly any difference between normal white light and circadian lighting , but it's got zero blue light in it .

Speaker 1 21:33

And I'm going to finish this up and wrap this one up very simply today , and I'm going to tell you right now something that is going to literally blow your mind . If you could live in a society today where you got the correct amount of blue light first thing in the morning and you could run all day with the correct amount of blue light , which is greater than 20% blue light , every single minute of the day , and then you could go in at night and work in your workplace , like your hospital or your call center or anywhere where you're inside , with circadian lighting , with zero blue light . I'm about to tell you something , but your body would know that it was dark outside , or think and believe that it was dark , and therefore it would not disrupt your natural circadian rhythm . So when I say , you can work shift work without disrupting your circadian rhythm . You can work shift work without disrupting your circadian rhythm .

Speaker 1 22:44

Science is now at the point where if you could activate circadian lighting upon nightfall in your house and your workplace and have sufficient blue light in your white light during the day that your body , it would not disrupt your body's circadian rhythm at all . Interesting , isn't it ? Really fascinating . So let's just back over that and just in summary , I just want to talk about that so that you understand . We need blue rich light early in the day and it comes in the form of daylight . Turning your lights on inside the house provides around about 500 lux of light , whereas outside , in the daylight , it is 10,000 lux , and we need 10,000 lux of light to reset our circadian rhythm , with the blue rich light inside it . But in the evening but in the evening , that blue light inside in our houses , in our lights , is too blue and it disrupts melatonin , and I've already discussed how important melatonin is that it helps to regulate our sleep-wake cycle . It supports our immune function . It is also an antioxidant . It could be classified as our cancer lifeguard . It influences our mood and our reproductive health and it's so important for us to maintain this proper melatonin level all the time . So block that blue light at night at every opportunity that you've got everywhere and speak to your employer and insist on circadian lighting in your workplace at night , because they are well aware of it and they're just killing you , quite simply , creating cancers , and this is a real problem .

Speaker 1 24:30

Okay , so , once again , thank you so much for joining me on this podcast . We really do appreciate you listening in . It's a very , very important topic light and it's going to become more and more prevalent and I really , really want to bring more knowledge to you around lighting . So thanks very much for listening . I really enjoyed having you here today and hopefully we can do this again and I'll catch you on the next one . Thank you for listening . If you enjoyed enjoyed this episode , be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released . It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on . If you want to know more about me or work with me , you can go to a healthy shift . I'll catch you on the next one .