Lessons from the Daysimeter®: can circadian disruption in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease be measured?

Non-visual effects of light: how to use light to promote circadian entrainment and elicit alertness

In addition to stimulating the visual system, light incident on the retina stimulates other biological functions, also referred to as non-visual responses. Among the most notable biological functions are human circadian rhythms, which are bodily rhythms that, in constant darkness, oscillate with a period close to, but typically slightly longer than 24 hours. Twenty-four-hour light-dark patterns incident on the retina are the major synchronizer of circadian rhythms to the local time on Earth. Entrainment of circadian rhythms has been implicated in health and well-being. Light can also elicit an acute alerting effect on people, similar to a "cup of coffee." This review summarizes the literature on how light affects entrainment and alertness and how it can be used to achieve these aims.

The impact of daytime light exposures on sleep and mood in office workers

BACKGROUND

By affecting the internal timing mechanisms of the brain, light regulates human physiology and behavior, perhaps most notably the sleep-wake cycle. Humans spend over 90% of their waking hours indoors, yet light in the built environment is not designed to affect circadian rhythms.

OBJECTIVE

Using a device calibrated to measure light that is effective for the circadian system (circadian-effective light), collect personal light exposures in office workers and relate them to their sleep and mood.

SETTING

The research was conducted in 5 buildings managed by the US General Services Administration.

PARTICIPANTS

This study recruited 109 participants (69 females), of whom 81 (54 females) participated in both winter and summer.

MEASUREMENTS

Self-reported measures of mood and sleep, and objective measures of circadian-effective light and activity rhythms were collected for 7 consecutive days.

RESULTS

Compared to office workers receiving low levels of circadian-effective light in the morning, receiving high levels in the morning is associated with reduced sleep onset latency (especially in winter), increased phasor magnitudes (a measure of circadian entrainment), and increased sleep quality. High levels of circadian-effective light during the entire day are also associated with increased phasor magnitudes, reduced depression, and increased sleep quality.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study is the first to measure personal light exposures in office workers using a calibrated device that measures circadian-effective light and relate those light measures to mood, stress, and sleep. The study's results underscore the importance of daytime light exposures for sleep health.