circadian mechanisms

Evening home lighting adversely impacts the circadian system and sleep

Basic facts, Sleep /

The regular rise and fall of the sun resulted in the development of 24-h rhythms in virtually all organisms. In an evolutionary heartbeat, humans have taken control of their light environment with electric light. Humans are highly sensitive to light, yet most people now use light until bedtime. We evaluated the impact of modern home lighting environments in relation to sleep and individual-level light sensitivity using a new wearable spectrophotometer.

Evening home lighting adversely impacts the circadian system and sleep Read More »

Predictions of melatonin suppression during the early biological night and their implications for residential light exposures prior to sleeping

Sleep /

The magnitude of nocturnal melatonin suppression depends upon the spectrum, amount, and duration of light exposure. The functional relationship between melatonin suppression and the light spectrum and amount have been previously described. Only one duration-dependent parameter was needed to extend this functional relationship to predict nocturnal melatonin suppression during the early biological night from a variety of published studies.

Predictions of melatonin suppression during the early biological night and their implications for residential light exposures prior to sleeping Read More »

Scroll to Top