According to a recent study, blue lighting may be affecting your hunger making you eat more than you intend to.
In a study conducted by the Interdepartmental Neuroscience program at Northwestern University in Chicago, a group of 10 adults were exposed to dim lighting for two days before swapping their light box to blue on the third day. The lights were switched on before their evening meal everyday. The results showed that the blue lighting increased hunger levels after just 15 minutes and lasted 2 hours after they had finished their food.
Blue light has also been linked to lack of sleep, this is thought to be a contributing factor in raised hunger levels and an increased consumption of food.
Another factor that contributes to over-eating is music. Previous research showed that diners are less with soft lighting and music compared to those in an environment with louder music and brighter lighting.
Co-author of the study, Ivy Cheung, said:
These results are important because they suggest that manipulating environmental light exposure for humans may represent a novel approach of influencing food intake patterns and metabolism.
