With today's fast-paced, constantly connected lifestyle, it's no wonder insomnia has become a common problem in society. Nowadays, with LED technology, lightbulbs are incredibily affordable. Unfortunately, they aren't so beneficial to our health. Exposure to lots of light before bed from our computer screens, televisions, and cell phones can mess with our circadian rhythm. Currently, there is an interest in researching "better" lighting, lighting that can help us with our attention and alertness during the day and help us get to sleep at night.
Researchers have found that different wavelengths of light stimulate different receptors. For example, blue light, a shorter wavelength, affects receptors that supress melatonin release, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Blue light is found in LEDs and our computer screens. They have also found that yellow light, which has a longer wavelength, causes less interference with the hormones that help to get you to sleep. Researchers have also found that intensity could have an affect on energy levels.
The results of this research is helping companies create better lightbulbs geared toward sleep and alertness. New mothers have found that Sleepy Baby helps their newborns sleep through the night. Brown University is looking into a lighting system that helps students stay focused and alert. Since we are so reliant on our electronic devices, maybe the solution to our insomnia is to change our lightbulbs.
New York Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/12/business/energy-environment/high-tech-lights-to-help-baby-sleep-or-students-stay-alert.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimesscience&smtyp=cur&_r=0
This is very interesting and seems to follow from a lot of common sense. I wonder if there have been studies done which account for the extra stimulators in order to look at the effects of light alone, like if someone is watching tv or on a social media site which may elicit some sort of emotional or psychological response. This article reminds me of how many people say to use lights in order to beat jet leg; in which case you turn lights on during the daytime hours of the place you are going to visit and try to reset your bodies natural timing before you even arrive. I think this information could be really helpful also to technological companies who could capitalize on selling electronic devises that could use varying wavelengths of emitted light from electronic devices through out the day to mimic the natural world.
ReplyDeleteDuring my undergrad, I worked at a sleep lab and would sometimes have to work during overnight sleep studies. I find this article fascinating because they actually had special goggles for us to wear when looking at the computer screens in the lab because of blue light exposure. Being dumb, I never actually wore the goggles, but some of my coworkers who did said they had very little trouble sleeping following our overnight shifts, where as sometimes if they did not wear the glasses, they had more difficulty. I was usually exhausted enough that it didn't make a difference, but more in more in my experience with sleep research and clinical sleep medicine people are being encouraged to not use their phones right before bed. The idea of changing lights to me would be fascinating and could really help a lot of people as we move into a more insomnia plagued, technically savvy society.
ReplyDeleteWhile playing softball in college, we would sometimes participate in charity games that would be played at odd hours, like in the middle of the night. We used to do exactly what Brittany described above, keeping the lights on during the hours we wanted to be alert/awake and keeping them off during the "off" hours; however, we also changed our meal times to reflect the hours we wanted to be awake by resetting our metabolisms. It would usually take us about 3-4 days to adjust to be awake and alert during the middle of the night. Luckily, we usually played in these tournaments over breaks and were able to do the same thing to switch back to normal sleeping and eating in order to make it to all of our classes on time the following week!
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to insomnia, it's hard to imagine a fruit fly having a similar experience to that of humans, but apparently it's true! Science has also determined that fruit flies also sleep at night and can be kept awake by caffeine. Researchers are now identifying factors within the fruit fly genome that may account for not only insomnia, but variations such as sleep maintenance insomnia (SMI). Current medications used for insomnia are pretty much knock-out approaches, however, people with SMI do not have an issue falling asleep, but rather they are unable to stay asleep hours later. By having a better understanding of the pathways that directly control maintenance of sleep in fruit flies, researchers may be able to better understand the same pathways in humans. This knowledge would enable researchers to create a drug that would specifically target different aspects of sleep regulation. As a human who has had issues sleeping in the past, it is ideal to have a better understanding of sleep, it's mechanisms and how to approach treatment more effectively. While insomnia may be genetic, it is also interesting to learn of different methods to improve one's sleep, especially those that may be as easy as changing a lightbulb.
ReplyDeleteSource: Hamilton, Jon. "How Research On Sleepless Fruit Flies Could Help Human Insomniacs." NPR. NPR, 18 Sept. 18. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.
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