Do you like to stretch your feet out of the quilt when you sleep? Can't sleep without turning on the light? People with this sleeping habit should pay attention

This article was reviewed by Zhao Wei, MD, associate chief physician at Tianjin University Teda Hospital

Sleeping at night is the most relaxing time of the day, when the body rests, the emotions calm down, and all tissues and organs are fully repaired. However, even when sleeping, people have different postures and habits. Some people like to wrap themselves in the quilt, while others like to leave their feet exposed. Some people like to sleep quietly, while others like to sleep with the TV on and music on...

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I wonder if you have ever thought about why there are these differences?

Do you like to stick your feet out of the quilt when you sleep?

Many people like to cover themselves with a quilt when they sleep, but their feet are exposed. Some people are used to wrapping themselves in a quilt before going to sleep, but when they wake up, their feet are exposed. Why is this?

In fact, it is the human body's own temperature regulation system that is at work - when wrapped in a quilt, the human body will become hotter and hotter, and in order to dissipate heat, people will unconsciously stretch out their feet.

Some people are curious, why not just lift the quilt directly?

In fact, under the condition that we feel hot when we cover ourselves with a quilt and feel cold when we don't, as long as our body temperature drops by another 1°C, we can enter a good sleeping state. But if we don't cover ourselves with a quilt, we will wake up because we feel cold.

The human head, hands, feet and skin surface are densely distributed with tiny blood vessels. If these places are exposed outside the quilt, the temperature in the center of the body will drop a little.

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Our heads are exposed and our hands are in the middle of the quilt. Only our feet are closest to the edge of the quilt, so when you fall asleep, your feet will unconsciously "run" out. But some people will unconsciously lift the quilt when they are too hot, exposing their shoulders, hands and even the entire body while sleeping.

However, some people are worried that leaving feet outside in the cold weather may cause cold legs.

In fact, the human body is more sensitive than you think - when it is hot, it will stretch its feet out, and when it feels cold, it will find a warm place to hide in order to better maintain its own temperature balance.

Why do some people sleep with the TV on?

There is a group of people who turn on the TV and fall asleep while watching it; when you turn off the TV, they wake up immediately. What's going on?

This is actually white noise at work.

"White noise" refers to a sound in which the power of the frequency component is uniform throughout the audible range (0-20KHZ). For example, the sound of raindrops falling on the ground, the rustling of leaves in the wind, the clatter of waves hitting the shore, and the gurgling of mountain streams are all white noise.

This kind of sound can relax your body and mind and help you fall asleep, so some people like to turn on the TV when they can't sleep, especially some middle-aged and elderly people.

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Why does white noise help you fall asleep?

It is impossible to achieve absolute tranquility in daily life, and the cerebral cortex is easily stimulated by irregular noise, which makes it difficult to fall asleep.

White noise has the effect of auditory masking. It can not only reduce environmental noise, but also block sudden interfering sounds, thereby achieving the effect of helping sleep and reducing awakenings.

At present, no research has found the long-term effects of white noise on humans. But when using white noise, it is best not to exceed 50 decibels.

Why do some people like to sleep with the lights on?

Generally speaking, we can only fall asleep peacefully after turning off the lights, but there are also people who like to sleep with the lights on. If we force ourselves to turn off the lights, we will not be able to fall asleep.

We may all think that this is just a lifestyle issue and nothing serious. But experts say that this is actually a psychological disorder - sleeping with the lights on.

Sleeping with the lights on is mostly due to fear of darkness

The essence of sleeping with the lights on is the fear of darkness, which often starts in childhood. When we are young, we are curious and like to listen to stories about ghosts and gods, which are often set at night or in the dark. Over time, we will develop a fear of darkness and become dependent on lights.

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In addition, if you have encountered an accident or had a nightmare in a dark situation and these terrifying experiences are not relieved in time, they may also cause fear of darkness.

But don’t think that sleeping with the lights on just wastes a little electricity. Doing so over time may cause great harm to your health!

Sleeping with the lights on for a long time can damage your health

Inhibits melatonin secretion

Nighttime light sources can disrupt a person's natural physiological rhythm, thereby inhibiting the pineal gland from secreting melatonin. Reduced melatonin secretion can affect sleep quality, and over time, immunity can decline.

obesity

A study published in the Journal of JAMA Internal Medicine found that women who were exposed to artificial light while sleeping at night had a 19% higher risk of obesity than those who were not exposed to light.

Increased risk of cancer

In May 2021, the authoritative journal Cancer published a study on night lights. This large cohort study selected 464,371 participants. The results suggested that if the artificial lighting at night is too strong, the risk of thyroid cancer can increase by 55%, and the risk is higher for women.

Tips: For those who are used to sleeping with the lights on, it takes some time to adapt to falling asleep in a completely dark environment. It is recommended to gradually reduce the brightness of the light source or buy warm-colored lights, which have a soft light and relatively less impact on sleep. Then slowly try to turn off the lights to sleep.

Source: I am a great doctor official account

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