• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.53-60
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• 2016

Objectives: Exposure to light at night has become pervasive in modern society. The impact of dim artificial light at night (dALAN) exposure on sleep and fatigue is not well recognized. We aim to study the impact of dALAN exposure during sleep on human fatigue. Methods: 30 healthy young male volunteers from 21 to 29 years old were enrolled in the study. They were randomly divided into two groups depending on light intensity (Group A : 5 lux and Group B : 10 lux). Data were gathered from each participant after each night with no light (Night 1) followed by the next night (Night 2) with two different dim light conditions (5 or 10 lux) by means of self-reported fatigue scale. Results: Exposure to dALAN during sleep was significantly associated with increased overall fatigue (F = 19.556, p < 0.001) and ocular discomfort (F = 5.671, p = 0.028). Conclusion: We found that dALAN during sleep likely affects human fatigue in some aspects. These findings indicate that dALAN during sleep exerts a negative effect on human fatigue.