Well about 2 weeks ago, I thought I would put into practice what I have been preaching. I purchased some roll down blinds for all the bedrooms in our house. At first it took a few nights to get used too, because normally the street light outside would cast some light into the room, and I could find my way around the room quite easily!

But now that the room is pitch black! There were those few times that I found the castors under the bed with the proverbial big toe! And I can assure you some of the language that flowed from my lips, was not pronounced in proper astronomical terms, I can tell you that!

At anyrate, I was willing to just, settle down on the fact that the room was black now and that was that! There was no real need to talk about it and further, other than, I was protecting my wife and myself from the adverse affects of intrusive lighting, during the circadian sleep cycle. Not that its a huge problem in my mind, mind you! But it was an easy step to fix, so why not! What could it hurt, I thought!

Just yesterday, out of the blue, my wonderful wife, who has no real interest in light pollution, telescopes or astronomy. Nor were we even talking about, light pollution or
home blinds for that matter.

Says to me, "You know! Since you put those blinds up in our bedroom, I have been sleeping so much better lately. I need less sleep now than I did before, and I don't feel drawn out, tired, or lethargic, if anything I feel great. I feel the way I should feel after a good nights sleep. Before I used to need, 8 to 10 hours of sleep and even then I felt lousy, now I find I only need 6 to 8 hours sleep. I wake up refreshed and raring to go!."

You know!? Once she mentioned it, I too gave it some thought, and she's right! Normally I wouldn't feel this good, until some hours later in the day, and then again that was only for a short few hours before I started yawning again. It also has shown me that "YAWNING" isn't suppose to happen after you have just awakened either. Yawning before you go to bed is normal, but not after you have already slept! That Yawn you experience in the morning, is actually telling you, that you didn't sleep well that night!

So what's the bottom line here, get to the point Paul! I guess the bottom line is this, TRY IT YOU'LL LIKE IT! If for any other reason than this, that you want to feel better, feel more refreshed, feel like you got a good nights rest and feel like you can face the day head on. Then try it, Blacken out your bedroom, do an experiment, do just your room for now if you think I'm full of it. ( I HEARD THAT!) Go ahead I dare ya! But remember this, a "SHARP MIND" is a hard thing to defend against, when yours is cloudy, fogged and hazy! Give it a shot for 7 days what can it hurt? Other than a big toe or two!

One last point to ponder here, now that I have your attention anyway. It has only been in the last 100 years that we have been using artifical lighting, to my knowledge anyway. Where as in the years prior to this marvelous invention we went to bed for THOUSANDS of years without glaring, intrusive lighting entering our bedrooms. Think about it folks, years ago people didn't need alarm clocks, they would wake up on time every time just using their biological internal clocks. How else did the farmers find out that the rooster crowed before the sun came up! *Wink* Well enough from me, try it I guarantee your going to like it! Clear Skies!

Mark McLaughlin (President)
Fraser Valley Astronomers Society
British Columbia Canada
http://www.fvas.net