Circadian Rhythm
With so much going on in our daily lives these days, our ‘Circadian Rhythm’ or internal body clock can sometimes be thrown out of kilter. Our bodies do their best to keep to a 24-hour cycle of when to wake up, when to sleep and when to eat; but with constant disruptions during the day, as well as living and working in poor lighting conditions, our well-being and health can be greatly impacted.
While the Circadian Rhythm is ‘built-in’ to our bodies, it doesn’t develop right away hence new-borns wake during the night and need to feed so often. It isn’t until babies are around three to four months old that the rhythm starts to kick in. This along with parents introducing a regular routine, exposing their baby to plenty of natural light and a soothing bedtime in a darkened space, ensures that the foundations of a Circadian Rhythm are introduced.
How can lighting design help?
Our bodies become trained to wake and sleep with the sun, particularly with the levels and tones of natural light that are offered throughout the day. However, sometimes it isn’t possible for the body to respond these changes simply because of the nature of the spaces we live and work in. This is where a lighting professional can help to retain your Circadian Rhythm by designing a lighting system that incorporates ‘tuneable’ white in order to replicate the different lighting tones the body needs to maintain the following;
1) Improved Mood
2) Increased Productivity
3) Better Sleep
4) Alertness
5) Reduction in Hyperactivity
6) Error Reduction
Scholars, including those at Oxford University, continue to study the effects of light quality on the bodies time clock and at New Wave, our lighting designers are ready to bring the health and technology worlds even closer together by designing and implementing a suitable system to mimic the natural daylight cycle using artificial tuneable lighting. Whether you have an existing Control4 or Lutron system, or you’re completely new to lighting control solutions and would like to find out more; why not contact us to arrange an appointment to discuss your requirements and see how we can help.
Further details can be found here – Oxford University Study and here BBC Health Feature
