Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival

Published back in 2000, "Lights Out" is an ambitious book that was remarkably ahead of its time. The main recommendations are to sleep more (in total darkness), and to avoid sugar as much as possible. The complicated hypothesis is that LAN (light at night) has profound effects on human health as summarized below in 1-4:1. Early humans were not exposed to artificial light at night. At night, we therefore slept much longer and produced more melatonin+prolactin which has many health benefits. (Light at night delays the onset of sleep and reduces our melatonin levels.) During Summer, the longer period of daylight caused us to crave carbohydrates (esp. sugar) so we could fatten up for Winter. We then burned off the fat while fasting during Winter.2. The discovery of fire reduced our levels of melatonin (and altered our sex hormones) so we became fertile year-long instead of only giving birth in Summer when it was warm. This also increased our intelligence (e.g. cave paintings at night).3. The discovery of agriculture then significantly increased our intake of carbohydrates. However, heavy farm labor burned off the fat due to carbohydrates. (Carbohydrates increase our insulin levels which tell our body to store fat).4. The advent of electric lighting/displays has now reduced our sleep time and melatonin/prolactin levels even further, causing the modern epidemic of obesity/diabetes/heart disease and even mental disease and cancer. LAN, which mimics longer Summer days, also greatly increases our appetite for carbohydrates/sugar, which are now available year-long instead of only during summertime.This is a fascinating hypothesis but that doesn't mean it's right, of course. LAN does have negative health effects- but there's no proof it's the main driver of the obesity/diabetes epidemic (let alone cancer). Other alternative explanations include sleep deprivation itself; increasing carbohydrates/sugar consumption (due to avoiding saturated fat); circadian rhythm disruption (due to insufficient exposure to sunlight and our modern habit of eating throughout the day); changes in our gut bacteria (microbiome) and reduced salt consumption (due to misguided fears of high blood pressure), etc.There's also, of course, the "consensus" theory that our diet has too much saturated fat and we exercise too little. (But this is mere dogma- a very wrong, bad guess- as described in Gary Taubes' books and esp. Teicholz's "Big Fat Surprise"). So it's TBD which of these factors, if any, is the true dominant one.This book also overstates its case (too many "this will kill you" assertions) and the tone is misanthropic at times. The last chapter, in particular, is the weakest with its paranoid and irrelevant asides. Also, the book predates the discovery that blue light (from displays and LEDs) at night has the biggest negative impact on sleep. The authors were also unaware of the research that red/infrared light (e.g. from fire) has beneficial health effects.Bottom-Line: Definitely worth reading but take it with a grain of salt. Read "Why we Sleep" (2017) and "Circadian Code" (2018) instead for much more balanced takes on the latest science of sleep/circadian rhythms. Also, recommended are "The Big Fat Surprise", "The Case Against Sugar" and "The Salt Fix".

The featured (or perhaps most recent) lengthy critical negative review here seems like it was written by someone who was reading this book primarily for intellectual information (maybe not, can't be in another person's head) and the other reviewers seem to have been reading this book definitely for health information but out of perhaps not so serious a (life threatening) need. However -- if your physical body has gotten seriously out of whack over time as the authors are addressing (especially regarding tumors, cancer etc. [can't speak for stroke, etc.]) then this is the book to read for the missing link. Therefore, if you are in a seriously compromised physical state, realize that the only thing that is really going to help you climb back up out of it is your own immune system and the building back up of your own body, emotional state and intrinsic chronic unconscious negative perception and attitudes perhaps stemming from negative life experience (which, from long research and experience, chip away at and eventually manifest in your physical body), pick up a copy of "The Makers Diet" by Jordan Rubin and read this "Lights Out" book slowly, thoughtfully and deeply to begin to incorporate it's incredibly insightful, intuitive and God-given foundational wisdom into your life, getting off the insane merry-go-round of this modern lifestyle we are all swept up in and begin to let your body and total being have a chance to mend itself by allowing yourself to actually start getting enough deep regenerative sleep to correct your hormone cycles and recapture the abundant life you were meant to live. The true profoundly impacting wisdom in this book will help set you on your way again. This reviewer has been on a healing journey for the last 7 years up out of what could have been a very scary place without having first been unwittingly prepared by a look at Lorraine Day's findings in walking out of her own large grapefruit sized breast tumor for another person and has studied (and tried) various methods of other people healing themselves LIKE the Lorraine Day diet and the ketogenic diet, etc. and has found that radical diets like these, while they work for some people who have the time to follow them fully, strictly and religiously (especially regarding rest), can, over time, cause you to actually physically lose your teeth if you're not doing them correctly. Learn from my almost-mistake (re teeth) and if these methods aren't working for you within around 18 months, head to "The Makers Diet" --BUT -- regardless of any method regarding diet, I have found that the information in this "Lights Out" book definitely seems to be the recurring element of the true healing journey threaded throughout.

I'm always rather wary about a lot of these sorts of books. I had had it in my wish list for a couple of years but was ambivalent about buying it. However, this book really did change my life. I had been suffering from a number of background health issues and decided, after reading a few other unhelpful books, to finally purchase it. I am very glad I did. Yes, ok, it is written in a somewhat conversational style but so what? Its not marketed as an academic tome - that's clear from the cover. Its meant for a wide audience not a handful of academics. Its an eminently readable, intelligible and enlightening book which makes sense of the relationship between us and our environment. It is a book that will leave a positive impression in some form and will almost certainly prompt someone to make even small changes to their life which may just turn out to be critical. Each person discovers something that they need out of it (provided they keep an open mind) but its not a manual or a 'how to'. Its more of a cautionary tale. For me, it was changes to my diet and sleeping routine which allowed me to regain my energy and feel 10 years younger.

Fascinating! Only a quarter way through, but the bigger picture of why were Ill, fat and insomniac is emerging rapidly. We have interfered with the balance of life on earth way too much. When we don’t live in harmony with the earth that we are part of, we suffer. Since the development of the light bulb, to our body, we have permanent summer. Light everywhere, all night if you want, and blue light from the screens were glued to day and night. We must get back to observing seasonality, eating and sleeping when we are meant to. In winter we would not have been able to stay up much beyond dusk, and that’s how it’s meant to be!

This book is a really interesting read. I got much more of an education about the workings of my body and influence of foods on hormones than I was expecting. So many factors interlink with one another to produce a combined effect and this book describes these mechanisms in such a way that even if you only have a basic understanding of the human body systems you totally understand what the author is writing about. One part I liked about the style of the book was that it was segmented into sizeable and digestible chunks...allowing you to read a section (constituting a page or two sometimes more) and understand it before elaborating or moving on to another area. This book flows well, but the physical break of a heading on a page very cleverly allows the reader to keep up with the information.Its an educational book, good for those who practice nutrition or herbal medicine, or for those who have interest in healthily living, hormonal balance, blood sugar management, paleolithic lifestyles and even GPs.I started reading this book and finished it before I knew it...it really captured my interest, and opened many more areas for further reading based on my current knowledge. Well written and well recommended.

This book came up to my expectations. Its quite technical in places, but I don't mind that. It is very clear about our current lack of sleep and the effects of this and tells you what to do about it. I shall be attempting to put the ideas into practice.

Excellent fascinating book. Researching with it.