By Katie Prater Kirby, ONU PharmD Candidate 2025 and Karen L. Kier, Pharmacist
On behalf of  ONU Healthwise Pharmacy 

In March of 1972, Todd Rundgren released one of his more popular songs titled I Saw the Light. As a solo artist, he was best known as a progressive rocker. Rundgren was also known as a prolific songwriter and producer. I Saw the Light has been covered for over 4 decades by various artists. Many may not realize he wrote the musical score for the 911 movie titled A Face to a Name. He was a pioneer in using the internet to distribute music in the 1990s.

How does light positively impact our health? 
Light therapy can be an important treatment for those who may develop seasonal affective disorder (SAD) especially in the winter months.  With shorter days and less light during the daytime, it is possible to develop depression during these months known as seasonal affective disorder. Signs and symptoms of SAD can include feeling sad, sluggish, listless, sleeping more than usual with difficulty waking up, craving sweets and carbohydrates, and difficulties concentrating. Thirty minutes of light therapy has been shown to help improve SAD and major depressive disorder as well.  

How does light negatively impact our health? 
Disruptions related to our body’s natural sleep-wake schedule, called the circadian rhythm, can have serious effects on our health, some of which could lead to early death. One major factor that can disrupt our sleep schedule is increased exposure to light at night. 

This light exposure could be coming from nightlights, TVs, phones, street lights, and other sources. Light can affect the signals in our brain that help us stay asleep, making it hard for us to get a good night’s rest. 

How much does it actually impact our health?
A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in August 2024 looked at how exposure to brighter nights and darker days affects our health. While past research has focused on outdoor light, this study specifically looked at personal sources of light such as phones, TVs, or nightlights.  By having individuals wear sensors on their wrists to monitor light exposure, the researchers were able to predict the risks of early death based on night and day light exposure measures. 

People exposed to more light at night had a 46% higher chance of dying from heart disease than those who slept with less light. Surprisingly, too little bright light during the day also increased the risk of early death. Why does this happen? Our circadian rhythm gets thrown off by light at night, leading to health problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.

To improve sleep quality and health, it is recommended to reduce light exposure at night, especially when getting ready for bed and while sleeping.  Some methods to limit light exposure may include putting your phone on “Do Not Disturb,” turning off TVs, removing nightlights, using blackout curtains, and avoiding phone use in bed.  If you have trouble sleeping, do not hesitate to contact your healthcare professionals.

See the light during the day and shut the light out at night!

ONU HealthWise offers the shingles vaccine along with flu, COVID-19 and other vaccinations. Vaccine clinics will continue through the middle of December on weekdays from 2:00-6:00 p.m.

The pharmacy is open 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 2:00-6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on Saturdays.