The impact of lighting modes in urban environment on adaptation capabilities of young people: an ecological aspect

Abstract

Modern urban environments are characterized by high levels of light pollution, which negatively affect the adaptive mechanisms of the human body and cause various disorders and impairments of vital functions. This study focuses on changes in adaptive processes in the bodies of young people exposed to different lighting conditions—natural illumination and complete absence of light. The research employed heart rate variability (HRV) analysis using specialized equipment (Omega-M). The obtained data indicate significant differences in the functioning of the main regulatory systems of the body under changing lighting conditions. The study reveals that artificial light exposure disrupts normal biorhythmological processes, weakens the body’s resistance to external stressors, and increases the risk of pathological conditions. The results highlight the role of natural lighting cycles in maintaining normal homeostasis and ecological stability of the human body in a modern urbanized environment. Prolonged exposure to complete darkness exerts a destabilizing effect on the autonomic nervous system, reducing the body’s adaptive capacity. This leads to an imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic regulation, manifested in increased activity of stress-related mechanisms.