Imagine it’s summer, and you live way up north. The sun is up for 22 hours of the day. Sunlight is good for sleep, right? Your sleep must be great. Except, no. It sucks. And the reason it sucks isn’t just because it’s hard to sleep when it’s bright outside (people in northern latitudes know …
Let’s start with a couple obvious things. If you lived in a bunker, and you never ever saw the sun, the choice between permanent Daylight Saving Time and permanent Standard Time would really not matter to you. We could just pick one and roll with it, and you would continue to be a person who lives …
Yet another blog about permanent Daylight Saving Time Read More »
Did you know that during a typical workday, you get far less light exposure than you would outdoors? That’s because indoor lighting is no match for the brightness of natural sunlight, and this difference has a big impact on your body’s internal clock (aka your circadian rhythms). This matters because your circadian rhythms rely on …
Give Your Circadian Rhythms the Gift of Sunlight This Holiday Season Read More »
Let’s say I want to boost circadian amplitude as much as I can. What light/dark schedule should I put myself on? This is a very tough question to answer experimentally, given how many possible light/dark schedules there are (infinite) and how expensive experiments like this can be (near infinite). But mathematical modeling can give us …
The end of Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the good one of the two time changes, since we gain the opportunity for an extra hour of sleep instead of losing one. But before you set your clocks back and enjoy that extra rest, it’s important to understand how sudden changes can disrupt your daily routine. …
Daylight Saving Time: Navigating Sleep Disruptions Read More »
Remember awhile back when we published ‘Light at Night is Bad, People‘? Well, consider this the reunion tour—today, we’re diving back in to explore why nighttime light is the ultimate sleep stealer. Picture this: it’s bedtime, and you’re ready to fall fast asleep. Then, bam! You remember a work email and crack the laptop open. …
It’s a common term, but what do we really mean by jet lag? I would say jet lag is a kind of circadian misalignment that happens when: 1. your body is aligned to your environment, meaning you’re sleeping at night and active when the sun is up, then … 2. you quickly travel to a …
Welp, here we are yet again. We are once more setting our clocks forward one hour to have more evening light. Why? That’s a good question. The history of Daylight Saving Time (DST) is complex and goes back to 1918 (in the United States). But lately more and more people are asking if it’s even …
Our apps tell you when to avoid light because light exposure is the number one input to your body’s circadian clock (which regulates sleep, metabolism, immune response, DNA repair, physical performance and more). Light at some times speeds up your clock and helps you fall asleep faster, while light at other times can slow down …
Don’t use your phone before bed! Turn off overhead lights in the evening! Block blue light as you wind down! There are tons of recommendations out there for helping you get to sleep at night that deal with light and technology, and—spoiler alert—I think they’re right on the money. But missing from the standard advice …
