Artificial light at night disrupts sleep in female great tits (Parus major) during the nestling period, and is followed by a sleep rebound

Artificial light at night caused female songbirds to sleep 56% less than in natural darkness.

• Exposure to artificial light made female songbirds fall asleep 95 minutes later and wake up 74 minutes earlier.
• The frequency of sleep bouts decreased when exposed to light, although the duration of each bout remained the same.
• Increased begging from chicks at night may have contributed to the sleep disruption in female songbirds.
• Following light exposure, females slept 25% more the next night, primarily by increasing the frequency of sleep bouts.
• There was significant individual variation in how strongly females were affected by artificial light.
• Differences in sleep behavior responses were noted between seasons, highlighting the importance of seasonal studies on light pollution.

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