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The Conversation

The Conversation is a network of not-for-profit media outlets that publish news stories written by academics and researchers.

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News

China’s sixth plenum will consolidate Xi Jinping’s power and chart the country’s ambitions for the next 5 years

by The Conversation

11 November 2021

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Can climate laggards change? Russia, like Australia, first needs to overcome significant domestic resistance

by The Conversation

10 November 2021

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Should Elon Musk try to solve the problem of world hunger with $6 billion? 5 questions answered

by The Conversation

10 November 2021

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COP26: meat eating is a big climate issue – but isn’t getting the attention it deserves

by The Conversation

10 November 2021

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Boris Johnson plans to take control of the independent Electoral Commission in another assault on democratic institutions

by The Conversation

10 November 2021

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COP26: countries are not spending nearly enough on adapting to climate change

by The Conversation

9 November 2021

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Scott Morrison spruiks electric vehicles – but rules out subsidies and an end-date for petrol cars

by The Conversation

9 November 2021

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Can the world avert mass starvation in Afghanistan without emboldening the Taliban?

by The Conversation

9 November 2021

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Labour makes it easier to change leaders, but Jacinda Ardern has no reason to go – yet

by The Conversation

9 November 2021

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Japan: pressure from populist right to scrap ‘peace constitution’ after 75 years

by The Conversation

9 November 2021

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Just 1.7% of people in PNG are vaccinated against COVID. Why is resistance so fierce?

by The Conversation

9 November 2021

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Astroworld tragedy: here’s how music festival organisers can stop big crowds turning deadly

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8 November 2021

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Why voter ID requirements could exclude the most vulnerable citizens, especially First Nations people

by The Conversation

8 November 2021

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To reach net zero, we must decarbonise shipping. But two big problems are getting in the way

by The Conversation

8 November 2021

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NZ’s government plans to switch to a circular economy to cut waste and emissions, but it’s going around in the wrong circles

by The Conversation

8 November 2021

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East Coast flooding is a reminder that sea level is rising as the climate warms – here’s why the ocean is pouring in more often

by The Conversation

8 November 2021

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Is COVID-19 here to stay? A team of biologists explains what it means for a virus to become endemic

by The Conversation

7 November 2021

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Wages up as Americans are encouraged back to work and into the office – 3 takeaways from the latest jobs report

by The Conversation

7 November 2021

LED face masks are popular on social media for glowing skin – but they could disrupt your sleep

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Dean J. Miller, CQUniversity Australia

LED face masks are the latest device promoted on social media as a marriage of technology and beauty.

A range of celebrities have endorsed portable versions of the product that was previously offered in beauty salons. Actress Olivia Munn carries hers with her at all times. Julia Roberts, Victoria Beckham and Chrissy Tiegen are also reportedly fans. The trend has even achieved the social media holy grail – a Kardashian Instagram post.

But regardless of whether they’ll help make your skin glow, our understanding of circadian rhythms suggests they have the potential to disrupt users’ sleep-wake cycles.

Read more:
6 ways to stop daylight saving derailing your child’s sleep

Daily rhythms

The human body has its own internal clock which, among other things, helps to control our sleep-wake patterns. This internal clock is influenced by several factors, the most potent being light exposure directly into the eyes. More specifically, short-wavelength “blue light” influences this system the most.

Exposure to this type of light at night has been shown interrupt the production of melatonin – also known as “the sleep hormone”. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in the brain and released within 2 hours of your habitual bedtime – preparing the body for sleep. But bright blue light exposure may interrupt this process.

There are a range of sources for blue light – including our beloved phones, electronic devices and also the room lighting in our homes. While it has become a common recommendation to avoid using electronic devices close to bedtime, in the context of blue light exposure, our phones and tablets do not seem to be bright enough to impact sleep. In fact, home lighting appears to have a greater influence – likely due to the transition to energy-efficient LED, “blue light” wavelength light.

Last year, Monash University researchers examined sleep and light exposure in 57 participants, finding that nearly half of them had LED lighting that suppressed melatonin by 50%. The study also found those with greater evening light exposure had increased wakefulness after bedtime.

Insufficient sleep has been shown to increase the likelihood of poor health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease.

Room LED lighting may be a bigger issue than phones and devices when it comes to sleep disruption.
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Read more:
Poor sleep is really bad for your health. But we found exercise can offset some of these harms

How face masks compare to other LED sources

LED mask manufacturers say they are the “future of skin care”, with masks emitting light at different wavelengths to target particular skin-related outcomes.

Several devices are FDA-approved in the United States, and claim to target acne with “blue light” modes – the precise wavelength range that may impact melatonin production.

To date, no experimental research studies have examined the impact of these devices, and their blue light settings, on sleep or the human body clock. But given the device’s proximity to users’ eyes and the intensity of LED light bulbs, it is reasonable to flag concerns about their possible impact on our body clock.

Sean Cain, a leading scientist on the impact of light exposure on human health, coined an analogy to provide perspective to the sources of artificial light. The light we receive from electronic devices can be thought of as like a glass of water being poured over your head, while home LED lighting is more like a bucket of water. In keeping with this analogy, could LED masks be something on the scale of a bathtub or swimming pool? Further research could quantify their effect.

Read more:
Snooze blues? How using your favourite song as an alarm can help you wake up more alert

You can still make like a Kardashian … in the daytime

These concerns, based on well-established circadian principles, do not rule out the use of these devices entirely. However, it is important for people who use them to avoid doing so at night – especially on the blue light settings.

Ideally, use of the masks should be during daylight hours, to avoid potential sleep disturbances and/or shifts in the human body clock. Future research could clarify any negative outcomes associated with these devices and potentially prompt manufacturers to provide recommendations on the timing of their use.

Dean J. Miller, Research Officer, CQUniversity Australia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

News

LED face masks are popular on social media for glowing skin – but they could disrupt your sleep

by The Conversation

7 November 2021

Recruiting more mental health workers won’t stop suicides. Preventing child abuse and neglect will

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Anthony Jorm, The University of Melbourne

Two major reports on mental health and suicide released this week suggest two very different solutions to preventing suicides.

One, from the House of Representatives Select Committee on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, recommends putting more resources into the mental health workforce. This includes recruiting and training more health professionals.

This might sound commendable, but I argue the evidence shows this is unlikely to work.

The other report, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) released today, provides the latest data on suicide and self-harm. This report makes no recommendations about preventing suicide. However, it identifies child abuse and neglect as a major modifiable risk factor for suicide right across the lifespan.

This approach to preventing suicide, involving removing the underlying causes, has more evidence to back it. Yet this was barely mentioned in the select committee report.

Read more:
We asked 9,000 Australians about their mental health needs post-COVID — this is what they want

More health workers unlikely to reduce suicide

In my own submission to the select committee report, I argued increasing treatment resources is unlikely to reduce rates of suicide.

Over the past 15 years or so, Australia has substantially increased spending on mental health services and expanded the mental health workforce considerably.

However, the suicide rate has been trending upward over this period. The AIHW report noted that between 2003 and 2019, the loss of life due to suicide increased by 13%.

It could be argued suicide would have risen even more over this period without the increase in services or the increase in services has not been sufficient to meet demand.

However, an examination of long-term suicide trends in Australia over three decades show no evidence various implemented service innovations and mental health policies have had any impact.

More mental health doctors and nurses won’t necessarily fix the problem.
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While it might be expected treating mental health problems with talk therapy or medication would reduce suicide deaths, there is very little evidence from randomised trials to support a reduction in suicide as a result of treatment.

A major limitation of any attempt to reduce suicide is that suicidal feelings often arise relatively quickly in response to overwhelming events. These include relationship breakdown, loss of a job, financial crisis or trouble with the law.

Suicidal actions can also be impulsive. This may be particularly the case for males and is more likely when the person has been using alcohol. In such circumstances, if a mental health professional was present, they may be able to support the person and prevent a suicide.

However, in practice, it is unlikely a professional will be present when a crisis occurs. This is why it is important everyone in the community has basic suicide prevention skills, as they may be in the best position to provide support on the spot.

Read more:
How to ask someone you're worried about if they're thinking of suicide

Could preventing child abuse and neglect work?

The AIHW estimates child abuse and neglect account for around a third of the burden of suicide and self-harm in females and around a quarter in males. “Burden” refers to the combined effects of suicide and self-harm on years of life lost and disability.

However, this is only a theoretical calculation based on what would occur if child abuse and neglect could be eliminated. The AIHW report does not suggest how Australia could go about reducing, let alone eliminating, this risk factor.

Read more:
Complex trauma: how abuse and neglect can have life-long effects

Reducing child abuse and neglect sounds like a difficult task and any benefits for suicide prevention would take decades to see.

However, there is evidence it is possible to reduce this and other childhood adversities that increase risk for suicide.

The Centre for Research Excellence in Childhood Adversity and Mental Health, with which I am affiliated, has reviewed the international evidence.

We found high-quality evidence for a number of interventions to reduce these adversities or lessen their impact on children.

We should be aiming for more early intervention in at-risk children.
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To find out which interventions would best suit Australia’s needs, we convened a panel of experts and sought their consensus on national priorities.

The experts’ recommendations included:

training programs to improve the quality of parenting
home visiting programs where a nurse visits at-risk families with young children
school programs to prevent bullying
psychological therapies for children exposed to trauma.

These programs can work in various ways to protect children. These include improving the capacity of parents to care for themselves and their children, reducing adverse events such as bullying, and reducing the impact of adversities once they have occurred.

Read more:
Treating a child's mental illness sometimes means getting the whole family involved

Where to next for suicide prevention?

On the surface, training more mental health professionals and providing more services seems a plausible approach to preventing suicide that is relatively easy to implement. However, the evidence does not support this actually works.

There is no one approach of achieving a lasting reduction in suicide in Australia. The causes of suicide are complex and require a multi-pronged solution.

However, reducing childhood adversities is part of the solution that has been neglected. Australia needs to give it greater priority.

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Anthony Jorm, Professor emeritus, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

News

Recruiting more mental health workers won’t stop suicides. Preventing child abuse and neglect will

by The Conversation

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Land, culture, livelihood: what Indigenous people stand to lose from climate ‘solutions’

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5 November 2021

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4 November 2021

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4 November 2021

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2 November 2021

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Copyright © Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
australiantimes.co.uk is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Reproduction without permission prohibited.