Nightlight

Small light fixture used to provide dim illumination during the night

A nightlight is a small light fixture, usually electrical, placed for comfort or convenience in dark areas or areas that may become dark at certain times, such as at night or during an emergency. Small long-burning candles serving a similar function are referred to as "tealights".

Uses and cultures [ edit ]

People usually use nightlights for the sense of security which having a light on provides, or to relieve fear of the dark, especially in young children. Nightlights are also useful to the general public by revealing the general layout of a room without requiring a major light to be switched on, for avoiding tripping over stairs, obstacles, or pets, or to mark an emergency exit. Exit signs often use tritium in the form of a traser. Homeowners usually place nightlights in bathrooms, kitchens and hallways to avoid turning on the main light fixture, especially late at night, and causing their eyes to adjust to the brighter light.[1]

Some frequent travelers carry small nightlights for temporary installation in their guestroom and bathroom, to avoid tripping or falls in an unfamiliar nighttime environment. Gerontologists have recommended use of nightlights to prevent falls, which can be life-threatening to the elderly.[2]

The low cost of nightlights has enabled a proliferation of different decorative designs, some featuring superheros and fantastical designs, while others feature the basic simplicity of a small luminous disc.

The 1990 song "Birdhouse in Your Soul" by They Might Be Giants is a song sung from the perspective of a nightlight.[3]

Light source and variants [ edit ]

Electroluminescent nightlights use little electrical power

Early electrical nightlights used small incandescent lamps or small neon lamps to provide light, and were much safer than small candles using an open flame. The neon versions consumed very little energy and had a long life, but had a tendency to flicker on and off (reminiscent of a candle), which some users liked and others found annoying. In the 1960s, small nightlights appeared that featured a low-power electroluminescent panel emitting soft green or blue light; similar lights are still available today.[4]

Some nightlights include a photocell, which enables them to switch off when the ambient light is sufficiently bright. Other designs also feature a built-in passive infrared sensor to detect motion, and only switch on when somebody is passing by in the dark. With the availability of low-cost LEDs, many different variants have become available, featuring different colours, sometimes changing automatically or in a user-controllable way.

Safety hazard [ edit ]

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, or UCPSC, reports it receives about 10 reports per year where nightlights close to flammable materials were cited as responsible for fires; they recommend the use of nightlights with bulbs cooler than the four or seven watt incandescent bulbs still used in some older products.[5]

Potential health issues and benefits [ edit ]

A University of Pennsylvania study indicated that sleeping with the light on or with a nightlight was associated with a greater incidence of nearsightedness in children.[6] However, a later study at Ohio State University contradicted the earlier conclusion.[7] Both studies were published in the journal Nature.

Another study has indicated that sleeping with the light on may protect the eyes of diabetics from retinopathy, a condition that can lead to blindness.[8] However, the initial study is still inconclusive.

The optimal sleeping light condition is said by some to be total darkness.[9] If a nightlight is used within a sleeping area, it is recommended to choose a dim reddish light to minimize disruptive effects on sleep cycles.[10][1] In addition, nightlights may be useful in locations other than sleeping areas, such as hallways, bathrooms, or kitchens, to allow late night trips to be made without turning on the full light, while preserving a dark sleeping environment.[2]

References [ edit ]

Even a Little Light in Your Bedroom Could Harm Health

TUESDAY, March 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- People who sleep with a light on may be unwittingly keeping their nervous system awake, a small study suggests.

The study of 20 healthy adults found that just one night of sleeping with the lights on spurred changes in people's functioning: Their heart rates stayed higher during sleep compared to a night with lights off. And, by the next morning, they were churning out more insulin — a hormone that regulates blood sugar.

The effects were not dramatic. But it's plausible that small effects, night after night, could ultimately affect a person's health, said senior researcher Dr. Phyllis Zee.

"This study doesn't prove that, and we need more research to look at chronicity," said Zee, chief of sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.

But in the meantime, she said, there's little downside to dimming the lights before going to sleep.

"I don't think people need to sleep in total darkness," Zee said. Even our technology-free ancestors were exposed to moonlight, she noted.

Why Everyone Should Have a Night Light (and How to Choose the Best One)

There are plenty of things we use or engage in as children that have entirely practical applications once you’ve ‘grown up.” Exhibit A: Night lights, those little lights you plug into the wall, soaking a room or hallway with dim, soothing light. Night lights are usually associated with little kids who are scared of the dark, which means most of us repudiate them once we see ourselves as adults (or at least adult-ish). The association between night lights and fussy babies is just too strong.

But night lights are a great idea. There are plenty of reasons you should have a few night lights set up in your house, and almost zero reasons not to.

Night lights are great for safety

Easily the number one reason you want night lights in your life is safety. Living in pitch blackness at night is all fun and games until you trip over a cat sleeping on your stairs and fall to your doom, or stub your toe on a dumbbell left on the floor causing a pain so intense you briefly see God. Night lights offer soft illumination that doesn’t ruin the quiet ambiance of a sleepy house or give you night blindness by straining your eyes. People tend to think of vision issues as something only the elderly need to worry about, but science tells us that every single human, no matter their age, needs light to see, and needs to see if they’re going to avoid tripping over stuff in the dark.

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Night lights are great for security

There’s a reason flight attendants always tell you that the aisle in your aircraft will be illuminated if both engines catch fire and you’re about to be rudely introduced to the ocean: Light helps a lot when there’s trouble. You might love sleeping in a house that’s so dark you start to disassociate from reality, but if there’s an emergency you’re going to want some light to navigate by.

Night lights are great for sleep

Okay, there’s a lot of evidence that sleeping with lights on in your bedroom can have an adverse effect on your sleep. But it’s important to note that this applies mainly to bright and white light, which can fool your body into remaining in a state of relative alertness even when you’re unconscious, resulting in poor sleep quality. As we’ll see, the right night light in your bedroom can actually help you sleep better. If your bedroom is dark as a subterranean cave and you’re still struggling to get a good night’s rest, consider adding a night light.

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How to choose a night light

So if you’re tired of living in a void, how do you choose a night light? A few things to consider:

Lumens. Every light in your home, including night lights (even the fancy LED kind) has a “lumens” value

Every light in your home, including night lights (even the fancy LED kind) Color. Night lights don’t have to be white light—you can find night lights in a variety of colors. If you’re putting a night light in your bedroom and you’re worried about the quality of your sleep, choose a red night light. There’s growing evidence

Night lights don’t have to be white light—you can find night lights in a variety of colors. If you’re putting a night light in your bedroom and you’re worried about the quality of your sleep, choose a red night light. There’s Motion sensors. Having night lights equipped with motion sensors can offer a perfect balance between your desire for soothing darkness while you’re trying to sleep and the management of your safety and security concerns. When you’re snoring away it can be perfectly dark, but the moment you make your way to the bathroom the lights flick on, saving you from death by Matchbox car or Lego brick. You can even install motion-activated lights under your bed

Having night lights equipped with motion sensors can offer a perfect balance between your desire for soothing darkness while you’re trying to sleep and the management of your safety and security concerns. When you’re snoring away it can be perfectly dark, but the moment you make your way to the bathroom the lights flick on, saving you from death by Matchbox car or Lego brick. You can even install Bulb. You can still buy old-school incandescent night lights, but they’re not very energy efficient, and the heat they produce can actually be dangerous. These days an LED is a better choice. They’ll last for years and sip electricity, and they don’t produce heat so you don’t have to worry about the bulb marking the paint on your wall or cause other, more serious problems.

You can still buy old-school incandescent night lights, but they’re not very energy efficient, and the heat they produce can actually be dangerous. These days an LED is a better choice. They’ll last for years and sip electricity, and they don’t produce heat so you don’t have to worry about the bulb marking the paint on your wall or cause other, more serious problems. Adjustable. You can buy dimmable night lights that allow you to adjust the brightness, so you can experiment with different levels of brightness until you find the right balance for your needs.

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Far from being childish, night lights actually improve our lives—they make us safer, can help us sleep, and ensure that the monster under the bed stays there.