Light at night and modeled circadian disruption predict higher risk of mortality

Originally published on medRxiv, 8 September 2023

Light at night disrupts human circadian rhythms, which are critical for maintaining optimal health. 

Circadian disruption accompanies poor health outcomes that precede premature mortality, including cardiometabolic diseases. However, links between personal night light exposure and premature mortality risk have not been established.

This study had an objective of characterizing the association of light at night with all-cause and cardiometabolic mortality risks and to understand the role of circadian disruption in these associations by applying a computational model of the response of the human circadian pacemaker to light.

The study found that exposure to brighter light at night, recorded with personal light sensors in >88,000 participants, was associated with higher risk of mortality across a subsequent 6-year period. Computational modeling indicated that disrupted circadian rhythms may explain this higher mortality risk.

Read the full study.