![]() ![]() Andrew Lim, a sleep neurologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, who was not involved in the research. "This study goes a considerable way toward showing the practical impact of light exposure on human biological clocks in the real world," said Dr. "A flip of a light switch can be pretty powerful," Wright said, adding that "light can be very arousing and alerting to the brain." ![]() He also recommended dimming lights and reducing the intensity of artificial lights on computers, TVs, and other electronic devices an hour before bedtime. Wright suggested making an effort to get more natural light in the morning or at lunch by taking a walk and raising shades or blinds at home and at work. "If people want to be more alert in the morning, they need to increase their exposure to natural lighting during the day, and decrease their exposure to electrical lighting in the evening," Wright said.īut you don't have to pitch a tent, unroll a sleeping bag and go camping to reap these benefits. More natural light caused the participants' internal clocks to become perfectly in sync with nature's light and dark cycle, or the timing of sunrise and sunset, he pointed out. In the great outdoors, participants were exposed to sunlight and a campfire's glow, but were not allowed to use any artificial light - meaning no computers, flashlights or cellphones.īefore the camping trip and after it ended, researchers measured levels of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness, as a marker for each participant's individual biological clock.ĭuring the week of camping, the participants were exposed to four times more natural light, on average, compared with when they lived their normal lives, Wright said. Then they spent a week camping in Colorado's Rocky Mountains in July. Participants spent one week living their usual schedules of working, attending school, socializing, exercising, sleeping and waking, and they wore a wristwatchlike device that measured their light exposure. In the study, researchers looked at eight adults with an average age of 30 who did not have any sleep problems. ![]() The findings are published online today (Aug. ![]()
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