Any amount of light can disrupt sleep and damage health

YOUR BEDROOM MAY NOT BE AS DARK AS YOU THINK Even if you believe your room is dark, you may be exposed to more light than you realize. Glowing electronic devices, like cable boxes, USB

chargers and even your alarm clock, can light up a whole room, Daley says. Daley suggests conducting this test in your bedroom at night: Close the door, turn off the lights, let your eyes

adjust to the darkness for a minute or so and hold out your hand in front of you.  “If you can still see your hand 24 inches away from face, you have too much ambient light,” Daley says. “I

have all my patients do this, and it’s funny how many come back and say, ‘Holy cow! I had so much light in my room.’ Their perception was that it was really dark.” Block LED lights on

electronic devices with tape or by covering them, and turn your alarm clock around, Daley suggests. If you live in an urban area, you may need to get room-darkening curtains or shades to

fully block the shine from streetlights outside. WHAT IF YOU GET UP DURING THE NIGHT? Many older adults keep a light on at night because they have to get up and use the bathroom, and they

want to be able to see where they’re going to prevent falls. If that’s the case, Daley recommends keeping a flashlight on your bedside table and using it to light the way if you visit the

bathroom. “It trains the light away from your eye [as opposed to a nightlight, which] directs the light toward your eye,” she explains. If you prefer to use a nightlight, Zee suggests

plugging it in as close to the floor if possible. You may also want to cover it with a red light filter, since studies show red or orange light is less likely than white and blue light to

affect brain activity. “I’m not saying you have to sleep in total darkness, because I understand that may not be possible for some people,” Zee says. “The goal is to minimize light exposure

and yet create a safe environment.” _Michelle Crouch is a contributing writer who has covered health and personal finance for some of the nation’s top consumer publications. Her work has

appeared in _Reader’s Digest_, _Real Simple, Prevention, The Washington Post_ and _The New York Times_._