Sleep & energy, light therapy

Health & Fitness |

Many years before the invention of the alarm clock and modern society we were woken up by the sun rising each day and we generally rested after a hard days work when the sun set.

Years on, our bodies are still set to work to this natural system. Your body has an internal clock that informs it of exactly when it is time to go to sleep and then again when it is time to wake up.

This internal clock resides within the the brain in an areas called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). The clock is able to control the “circadian rhythms” in your body, including body temperature, alertness and the daily cycle of several other hormones. For instance, the requirement to sleep is brought on by the secretion of a hormone called melatonin, which is produced by the pineal gland. The advent of bright light in the morning hits eyes and sends a signal to the pineal gland which switches off the production of melatonin and reduces the requirement to sleep.

Unfortunately our modern lifestyles cause many of us to rise before the sun comes up, not have exposure to a great deal of natural sunlight during the day and then stay awake well beyond sunset. Most of the light that hits our eyes offers a measly 300-500 lux, whereas bright, natural sunlight offers up to 100,000 lux. However, our lifestyles are not always to blame, as in many European countries, during winter we are never guaranteed a great deal of bright sunlight!

The outcome of this is that our natural sleep times will overlap with regular awake activities such as work, school, exercise or socialising. This can lead to us feeling sluggish, tired and lacklustre for large periods of the day – and is clearly a contributor to irritability, depression and other disorders.

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