【轻松英文阅读】灯光的危害

 Without a doubt, artificial light has made our lives more convenient. In fact, our modern civilization would not be possible without Edison’s invention. However, scientists are recently discovering that there is a dark side to the artificial light that surrounds us.

 

It appears that our bodies need the dark as much as the light. Life on earth, including humans, has evolved to match the earth’s 24-hour day. Our body’s built-in 24-hour cycle is known as the circadian clock. Artificial light disrupts our circadian clock by disrupting the production of the hormone¹, melatonin. According to several studies, lower levels of melatonin can lead to such disorders² as depression, fatigue³, insomnia⁴, diabetes⁵, obesity⁶ or even heart disease. Researchers have also found that the disruption of melatonin production can interfere⁷ with cell division and lead to cancer. Indeed, many studies have shown higher rates of cancer among people who work late-night shifts.

 

Luckily, there are some measures you can take to lower your risks. Here is a list:

 

1) At night, Limit your use of gadgets⁸ that emit high levels of blue light. This includes any kind of LED, such as laptops, most TVs, iPads. etc.

 

2) If you have to use such devices, use special glasses that block out blue light.

 

3) Try to use dim orange and yellow lights at night. Avoid using bright overhead fluorescent⁹ or LED lights.

 

4) Expose yourself to sunlight during the day.

 

5) Try to reduce stress. Increased stress increases the body’s production of cortisol, which in turn lowers melatonin levels.

 

Hopefully, with these measures you can get on a good sleep cycle and start living healthier.

1 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

2 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

4 insomnia   

n.失眠，失眠症

参考例句：

• Worries and tenseness can lead to insomnia.忧虑和紧张会导致失眠。
• He is suffering from insomnia.他患失眠症。

5 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

6 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

7 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

8 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

9 fluorescent   

adj.荧光的，发出荧光的

参考例句：

• They observed the deflections of the particles by allowing them to fall on a fluorescent screen.他们让粒子落在荧光屏上以观察他们的偏移。
• This fluorescent lighting certainly gives the food a peculiar color.这萤光灯当然增添了食物特别的色彩。