Bright-light before bedtime disrupts preschoolers sleep patterns, study suggests

Exposing preschoolers to bright light before bedtime is not a good idea, according to a new CU Boulder study. It almost completely shuts down their production of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, keeping it suppressed for at least 50 minutes after light's out, says lead author Lameese Akacem with the Sleep and Development Laboratory.

Beware - Bight-light before bedtime disrupts preschoolers sleep patterns

You might have heard of the experiment in which children can have one marshmallow now, or wait a few minutes and have two. It’s been used as a test of self-control, and it’s been believed that you either have it or you don’t. But now researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered that social factors can influence children’s self-control. 
Sabine Doebel is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at CU Boulder. In her experiment, some children were told they were part of a group that waited for the second marshmallow. Others were told their group didn’t wait and just went for the one marshmallow. The outcomes were different.

Marshmallow Test and Self-Control

The official account of the University of Colorado Boulder Office of Strategic Relations and Communication. #CUBoulder

Marshmallow Test and Self-Control

Lab R.A.T.S.

Related tracks