Research has shown that our modern lifestyle can make it hard to get to bed early enough. Not just indoor lighting, but the screens from electronic devices used close to bedtime can delay sleep. This article discussed a study about the effects of light on sleep. Researchers took volunteers who normally slept after midnight and 8 am. They had them sleep in tents outdoors for one week with no external lighting of any kind, and no cell phones. After a week, the volunteers had shifted their sleep schedules two hours earlier. Researchers said the participants melatonin levels changed, being secreted earlier.
The headline of this article is misleading, however. The week of camping won't have a lasting affect when the volunteers go back home to their routines. They would have to restructure their time so that their homes are relatively dark and to not use electronic devices close to bed.
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