A blue bedroom makes thick

Whoever exposes themselves in the bedroom to blue light for a long time might notice it on the scale. Too much light during the late-night hours leads to extra kilos, says Rosa van den Berg, a Dutch researcher at the Leiden University Medical Center.

 
Van den Berg investigated the link between our biological clock and brown fat. Brown fat, unlike white fat, helps us become slimmer, but this brown fat becomes less active as long as we are exposed to a lot of (blue) light. Sleep expert Johan Verbraecken adds the following: ‘Light is a stimulus that disrupts the biorhythm at night. You become more active and your body produces more cortisol. This in turn creates a feeling of hunger and can lead to changes in weight in the long term. The more your body is disturbed at night, the worse you sleep and the more tired you are the next day. And that fatigue causes you to reach for that jar of candy from your colleague more quickly, thus increasing the urge for unhealthy food .’

 
Verbraecken also adds that especially blue light is the culprit. ‘The light suppresses the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone that makes you tired. It’s better to close your laptop after six and swap the TV for a good book.’