Light pollution is bad. Not only is it bad for astronomers—making it harder for them to see the night sky and study the stars—but now researchers believe there might be a connection between light pollution and Alzheimer’s, thanks to a new groundbreaking study that could help us better understand how this disease forms in the mind and what triggers it.
But how exactly do brighter lights in cities and towns affect our minds and become a risk for things like Alzheimer’s disease? Well, it all comes down to circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are an essential part of our body’s ability to regulate biological behavior.
And when you start messing with that rhythm—like by adding in a bunch of streetlights that make it harder for your body to tell the time—you start to run into other issues. And that’s why researchers believe there may be some kind of connection between light pollution and Alzheimer’s development, especially in people under 65 years old.
Coming to a good understanding of what triggers Alzheimer’s to develop in people is an important part of researching and finding cures for the disease. Already, scientists are finding ways to switch back on the memories that people have lost, and we could one day even find a proper cure for the disease.
But that still doesn’t really explain the connection between light pollution and Alzheimer’s, does it? To explain that connection, the researchers have drawn up a couple of possible theories. First, they believe that because Alzheimer’s is multifactorial, light pollution could be an important factor to consider. However, the exact dangers of light pollution triggering the disease have not been heavily researched enough to be stated as fact just yet.
The researchers say they need to conduct additional research on the matter to see just how severely it connects to the disease. From there, they’ll hopefully have a much better understanding of whether or not light pollution factors into things as greatly. Until then, you can always do things to mitigate light exposure within your home at night. Just in case you want to feel a bit safer.
