It seems usual that Babies and children are allowed to sleep with some type of light on (lamps or sconces mainly)It is a practice that could help children, because in this way they feel more secure (you know, the fear of darkness).
It is natural to be afraid when night falls, and it is normal to want to protect ourselves from potential dangers that do not exist today. But Is it appropriate for children to sleep with a light on?, a priori I would think that you rest better in the dark, however we will see in a little more detail what are the consequences that can be derived from accompanying the dream with lighting. A dim light reassures children, the main light in the room will delay the moment of closing the eyes, but any type of lighting can cause myopia in adulthood.
The eyes of children are very vulnerable during the first years of life, so a study that published "Nature" in 1999, warned of the absence of darkness while we slept, as a risk factor in the development of myopia. The researchers could not establish this claim as a direct cause, since it was an epidemiological analysis.
The investigation found a correlation between myopia and have slept with light on until two years, not after that age. Of course, the authors then asked for more studies to prove the theory, because it is clear that other factors can intervene. Among the results stands out 55 percent of children who had slept with a lamp or lit bulb, and had contracted myopia in adulthood, and this figure is five times higher than those who slept in the dark.
In addition to a possible risk of developing myopia, I would like to clarify that melatonin is secreted overnight (and in dark conditions). What is melatonin good for? to rest well and keep the circadian rhythms of sleep / wake up regulated.
We are the parents responsible for providing a good night's rest for the children. In addition, with our model they will be able to adopt healthy guidelines in the future, it is definitely not right to go against our own biological rhythms, which can cause us some other health problem (it is well known that whatever is said, the people who must work at night, rest less and eventually have more difficulty sleeping).
I've always thought that each family must find the best way to accompany the fears of the children, in fact I am convinced that if we do not accompany them they will last much longer in time. I also believe that many adults, as it happens to me, at some point can feel insecure when they are completely surrounded by darkness. I mean, the fact that one is lying in bed does not erase the genetic memory of other times in which we lacked protections against an environment that could be hostile.
If it is not appropriate for them to sleep with a light, however small, perhaps we could stay longer in their room, or adapt the distribution of the bedrooms so that the brothers sleep together, or sleep with them.
