Author’s Note:
Welcome back! I took an unexpected hiatus due to a job change, but I am now settled in to my new role, and happy to continue researching and writing for you all.
Bright Light and Headaches
My new office has a large window, which lets in plenty of natural light during a sunny day. When I was first starting my new role, my trainer often turned on the overhead fluorescent light, plus the strip of task lighting above the desk. Now that I am on my own, however, I rarely turn the overhead light on (I can count on my fingers the numbers of times I have done it since starting,) and never turn the task light on. I also tend to turn lights on at home only at night. Why? The non-natural lighting gives me a headache.
I am not alone in this. Bright light increases the frequency of attacks in migraine sufferers, especially if the light flickers, and especially if its on the blue frequency of the light spectrum, such as the light from electronic devices. It can also increase the frequency of tension or cluster-type headaches, although this is not as well studied. In all primary headaches, it is hypothesized that bright light stimulates pain receptors in the brain. For HSP’s, with their increased neurons, light that may be not-as-bright may be enough to stimulate pain. Indeed, researchers have found that chronic migraine sufferers are more likely to perceive light as bright then people who don’t get migraines. They are also more generally sensitive to sensory stimuli, even between headaches. While the exact link between high sensitivity and migraine has not been studied exclusively, these studies show that there likely is one.
Bright Light and Sleep
Artificial light has also been shown to negatively impact Circadian rhythms. It is fairly well known among the general population that blue light from electronic devices can make it hard to sleep. This is because our eyes use light to tell us when it is time to be awake and active, and darkness to tell us when it is time to sleep. Harvard University reports that even low levels of artificial light, such as streetlights or urban glow can mess with our sleep, leading to sleep deprivation. Since HSPs perceive artificial light as being brighter, and are more profoundly affected by fatigue, skipping the artificial lights as much as possible is a must. (I do plan on writing a blog post soon on sleep, fatigue, and the HSP.)
Practical Considerations
For the HSP, keeping light as low-intensity as possible while still being able to get necessary work done is a must. Keep fluorescent lights off if possible, or use lamps with lower watt bulbs if you don’t have enough natural light in your space. If neither of those are possible, or not enough, Amazon offers many different varieties of fluorescent light covers to decrease the intensity. (My mom worked for several years with preschool children with autism. Their sensory issues also made them sensitive to fluorescent lighting, and she swore by these.) Keep screens out of the bedroom and away from your bedtime as much as possible, although I acknowledge that this is easier said than done. Keep your bedroom dark to promote sleep.
For the loved one or coworker of the HSP, please do not turn on a light in a space where an HSP is working without asking first, even if you are trying to be helpful. I often had patients or families do this to me while I was still working in home health. They did not believe me when I said the natural light was plenty to see what I was doing, and flipped the switch. It was emotionally painful to not be heard, and physically painful to have a bright light in my face. Your HSP has their environment the way they want it, even if it doesn’t make sense to you. Please respect them by asking if it’s okay to change it, and respect them if they say no.
Bright light will not be going away anytime soon. However, making a few changes to our environment can minimize its harms. Enjoy the fall sunshine, friends!
