Chronobiological Lighting

What is Chrono-biological Lighting?

Light is the essential source of all life on our planet. For humans, light plays an important role in our health and our wellbeing, it regulates our sleep-wake cycle, our daily routine, and physical and mental health, keeping us energized or giving us the feeling of a cozy environment.
Light, particularly sunlight, supports the synchronization of major circadian rhythms which is essential for a high-quality sleep-wake rhythm and thus for health, performance, and well-being. When there is a lack of natural light, which is particularly the case indoors, it is not always easy to maintain these rhythms. The use of chronobiologically optimized lighting systems is therefore considered to be an opportunity to stabilize circadian rhythms and improve people’s life quality.

Implications

Studies have shown that warm white lighting in the evening helps to increase the level of rest and sleep. Whereas cold white lighting had an activating impact on overall physiology. With this result, we can conclude that even artificial lights can have an important chronobiological impact on humans. We are able to use existing techniques to create mood lighting to positively influence circadian rhythm and reduce potential symptoms from light effects.

Benefits

Research has indicated that different light spectrum has a different impact on human. Using an intelligent chronobiologically adapted light management system not only can benefit physical health levels but also improve overall mental health levels. For example, a control group in the chronobiologically modified lighting condition reported less daytime sleepiness, higher levels of physiological activity and energy as well as overall higher satisfaction with environmental lighting conditions than the control groups. Furthermore, the results of the hair analysis showed higher levels of cortisol when exposed to chronobiologically modified lighting.

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