Living With No Electricity – Good For Sleep?

After Hurricane Irene blew through, millions in the U.S. were left with no power from South Carolina to Maine. Clearly, this is a problem that can cause worry, inconvenience, and spoiled food. However, living for multiple days without modern electric lights and devices (if you don’t have a generator) may actually be a good thing for your sleep patterns.

Human bodies in years past were tuned to the light of the day. When it got dark out, we went to sleep. Today, of course, we have lights and distractions like TVs and iPads to keep us entertained well into the night. When deprived of those conveniences, it doesn’t take long to revert to our old ways.

Blogger and record company owner J.D. Moyer did an experiment with his family last year, where he lived in the evenings without electric lights or devices. He found that he, his wife, and even his young child all went to bed earlier, slept better, and slept longer.

While no one WANTS to lose electricity, perhaps those who are not going to have it for an extended period of time can make lemonade out of lemons, and adjust our body clocks to a more “natural” state.