By now, we all know that human bodies are programmed to progress as per the cadence of our solar system – typically known as the circadian rhythm.
The circadian rhythm is the internal clock of the human body that is responsible to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. In other words, it is responsible to regulate the alertness and sleepiness in our bodies by responding to the slight variations in our environment. Naturally, living beings are habitual of sleeping in the darker hours and feel alert in the early morning. This is all because of the synchronization of the circadian rhythm with the solar system.
Every single one of us wants to do give our best to the day with every next sunrise, and what factors we consider to be most important to achieve that are healthy nutritious intake, ample sleep, less stress, and sufficient workout. However, sadly, the reality is not so!
The human body is far more than what a layman imagines.
Digging the advancements of science and growing in an era of circadian rhythm lighting, by now, who doesn’t know the detrimental impacts of poor exposure to sunlight. The world knows that low or no exposure to sunlight can turn out to be disastrous for one’s health resulting in conditions like fatigue, eye strain, debilitating mental health, and just what not.
But what if I told you that sunlight has a directly proportional relationship with your productivity provided that your mind’s optimization is wholly dependent upon the lighting conditions you spend your day in.
Circadian rhythm lighting
Human bodies should progress with the harmony of their innate rhythm—the Circadian Rhythm to have the most out of their existence.
For suppose, you wake up on a heavenly bright day and feel empowered, prepared to get up and handle whatever agenda strikes you throughout the day.
Contrary to that, the next morning, you are welcomed to a dark stormy day as soon as you slide the curtains from the window, you feel like creeping back under the sheets to have some more sleep. Only if you are having vibes that your energy level is dependent upon the intensity and the frequency of the light exposure you have, you are not fooling, either assuming, because this is what it is!
Circadian rhythm lighting is a rare type of lighting system that was initially designed to mimic the daylight with respect to the changes in colour and brightness witnessing the fact that the sunlight has an ability to impose a dramatic impact on our body’s overall energy and productivity.
It is like a 24-hours internal clock regulating the sleep-wake cycle commanding a living being’s mind for staying alert and sleep.
What influences our circadian rhythm?
Have you ever pondered “how our internal clocks decide when we are supposed to be alert and sleepy at a certain time?” It’s all because of plenty of light or lack in the opposite scenario, respectively. This is the reason that you won’t experience a similar energy spark on a dark stormy day as you enjoy on a bright sunny morning.
It is often assumed that the sun is the only one to be responsible for our productivity. However, it is not so: artificial lights play a vital role when it comes to affecting our energy and productivity. You name it—and science will have it for you, here, we are drooling over the circadian lights, mood-enhancing lights, and many other healthy light bulbs bringing a revolution in our daily lives. Similar to how sunlight and moonlight regulate our sleep cycle, circadian rhythm lighting can also control it in the same way.
Overviewing artificial light sources, we came across blue lights that are more prevailing to interfere in our day-to-day routines. What a layman is unaware of: blue lights are basically mood-enhancing lights and the ones responsible for condensing your sleep!
There are many devices like television, mobile phones, PCs, etc. to have an emittance of such blue light rays. As a result, it lightens your sleepy feeling while enhancing your mood at the same time.
How productivity is increased by circadian rhythm
The concept of circadian rhythm and productivity revolves around the secretion of a hormone called melatonin. The phenomena are regulated by the hypothalamus presented within the cerebrum of the human brain. This region is primarily responsible to transmit signals from the eyes to the brain alerting/notifying mind about day and night time. Hypothalamus is responsible for the secretion of melatonin to harmonize sleep with darkness and light with alertness.
It has been discovered that light imposes an effect on both, our visual and non-visual system—now may it be electric light or solar light, both imposes an effect on our circadian rhythm.
Circadian light is the innovation to support human health by minimizing the symptoms of circadian rhythm disorder. It is believed and proved that prolonged exposure to blue light at a certain intensity can affect the secretion of melatonin, adversely. The idea of circadian lighting is still new in the market. Hence, it is still residing in its early stages of development and research.
However, up till now, there are three approaches validating the circadian lighting system:
1. Intensity tuning
2. Colour tuning
3. Stimulus tuning
Intensity Tuning
Intensity tuning has a very prominent share in the circadian lighting technology. These lights maintain a fixed correlated temperature but the intensity is customized as the hours’ pass and we move minute by minute from sunrise to sunset.
For instance, kick-starting the day with lower intensity in the earliest hours as the sun begins to rise, crawling to the maximum intensity in the afternoon, and wrapping up with a remarkable reduce in it as the sunsets and we encounter evening.
Colour tuning
Circadian rhythm lights are designed with customized color tuning to mimic the correlated color temperature for different times of the day. These lights are capable of being customized to cool color temperatures of 4000K to 10,000K during the late evening hours so that a person may feel relaxed and sleep peacefully without any disturbance being caused by exposure to the blue light or anything else. Similarly, they are featured to customize to a warm-cool temperature ranging from < 2700K to 3500K simulating daylight to help a person stay alert.
Stimulus tuning
Paired with intensity tuning, these light fixtures are inherent to reduce the bad blue light effect and transform it into a good blue effect during the night time hours. The feature is present to keep the CCT In place while suppressing the melatonin secretion so that a person may fall asleep quite easily.
Techniques to reduce stress
Crawling down to techniques to reduce stress, blue light therapy is regarded as the best source for the purpose. Scientists prove that where blue light disrupts your sleep, it also works at enhancing your focus and concentration, significantly. Hence, directly or indirectly, it can help one reduce stress easily.
Conclusion
Circadian rhythm is one of those things that are not supposed to be ignored by any individual. If you want to stay healthy and function like a normal healthy person, it is vital to keep a check of your body’s internal clock. Circadian rhythm does more than one thinks of it.
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Image Credit: Matthew T Rader
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