A new study recommends that pregnant women should dim the lights at least an hour before bed to avoid gestational diabetes. In the case of cell phones, televisions and tablets, the recommendation is that they be turned off or have the lights modulated.
The study was published in the journal American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Maternal Fetal Medicine this Friday (10/3). During the research, 741 US women in the second trimester of pregnancy were observed. All wore an actigraph, a device sensitive to light and temperature, which is used to monitor the quality of sleep.
Other studies have already shown that nocturnal brain stimulation is associated with cardiometabolic diseases, including abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, increased blood pressure and lipid imbalance.
In the study in question, even following researchers adjusted for age, work hours, season, sleep duration, and regularity and daytime light exposure, light exposure during the night remained associated with gestational diabetes.
inadequate rest
According to Professor Minjee Kim, the main author of the study, the volunteers who developed gestational diabetes mellitus suffered greater exposure to light in the three hours before the onset of sleep.
“Our study suggests that exposure to light before bedtime may be a little-known but easily modifiable risk factor for gestational diabetes,” he says.
The researchers were unable to indicate which source of bright light was causing the problem, but they believe it is a summation. “Try to reduce the amount of light in your environment in those three hours before going to bed. It is best not to use the computer or phone during this period. But if you must use them, keep the screens as dark as possible,” Kim said.
Get news from metropolises on your Telegram and stay on top of everything! Just access the channel: https://t.me/metropolesurgente.
