Why do I sleep better in a light room instead of a very dark room? page

[primalprincess7]

I live in a busy area where at night it is bright in my room at night ;I had sheer curtains on my windows. I have taken the advice to sleep in a very dark room to get better sleep. I bought very dark curtains and it makes my room pitch black at night, no light gets in anymore. However, for the past 2 weeks with the dark curtains I have tossed and turned and have not slept good AT ALL. But when I had the sheer curtains where it was light in my room at night, I fell right asleep and slept well. What could be the reasoning of this? Do I need to get out in the natural light/sun more during the day in order to sleep better in a very dark room?

[Knifegill]

You're probably nocturnal, like me.

[sbhikes]

I don't buy the need for pitch dark to sleep, that it is more natural. I slept outside in the wilderness for 6 months and half the time the moon is bright enough to disturb your sleep even in the forest with all the trees surrounding you.

[tfarny]

I sleep way better in the dark, personally. SB, did you cowboy camp the whole PCT?

[Hedonist2]

There is no paleolithic basis for sleeping in pitch dark. I just works for some people. There are good reasons to avoid bluish light, which Grok never would have experienced at night.

[Alex Good]

No idea but it's usually the same for me. I can sleep with any light except for that damned street light right outside my window. I swear to god I'll be finding a way to get rid of it soon enough.

[LJH]

I can sleep like the dead in any light, or lack thereof, always could.

[sbhikes]

I sleep way better in the dark, personally. SB, did you cowboy camp the whole PCT?

No, I slept in a tent. The moon was bright enough to penetrate the fabric of the tent. It was light gray. Some nights the birds start singing because even they can't sleep.

[Lewis]

But when I had the sheer curtains where it was light in my room at night, I fell right asleep and slept well. What could be the [reason for] this?

Perhaps just that it's what you're used to and there's now a change in your habits.

Do I need to get out in the natural light/sun more during the day in order to sleep better in a very dark room?

Well, yeah. For circadian rhythms to be right you need to get more intense light in the day as well as proper dark at night-time.

For more see Lights Out:

http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Sle...dp/0671038680/

That's well worth buying and reading.

Robb Wolf has a short post that's worth a look:

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep! How artificial lighting and cortisol impact zzz’s

Best to stick with it rather than take the curtains down even if you're taking a longer time to drop off right now. Experiments have shown that even a tiny light shone behind a subject's knee is enough to severely impact his release of melatonin. You need that to happen for a number of reasons.

As well as being out more in the day, you might try ensuring that the room is relatively cold -- possibly even having a cool bath before bed if the weather's hot. A magnesium supplement -- something most if not all of us need anyway -- seems to help with sleep if taken before bedtime. There are a number of other things you can do. Lights Out has much more and Robb probably has more information around on his site, too.

[primalprincess7]

Thank you all for the great insight! I appreciate it. Last night I took down the dark curtains and slept in the lighter room and I fell asleep immediately and slept deep and woke up with more energy than I have in the last 2 weeks. and yes, I do try to keep my room on the cooler side as well!