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Lighten up |
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| Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of
morning sunlight for people who have difficulty falling asleep. That's because sunlight helps the body’s internal biological clock reset itself each day. People with delayed sleep phase syndrome, for example, report trouble falling asleep until 3 AM and trouble getting up before 10 or 11 AM. This disorder affects 7% of all persons seeking treatment for insomnia at sleep disorders centers. It is most common in adolescents. Light therapy in the early morning may help such people fall asleep earlier. How does it work? When the retina in the eye is exposed to light, nerve impulses are transmitted to the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain. This structure then signals the brain's pineal gland to release a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin is thought to play a role in in regulating sleep/wake cycles. |
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| Related
links: Dawn’s Early Light to Twilight’s Last Gleaming... JAMA light therapy applications to depression, jet lag, and circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Light therapy  Choose from 20 articles on this site, everything from explanations of the human body clock to applications for light therapy. 
To read more about
the effects of sleep disorders and sleep deprivation, visit Mind
over mattress and Triggers
survey results. |
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Light
brightness is measured in lux. Outside on a sunny day, the
brightness level is about 10,000 lux. In the shade, the
brightness goes down to 3,000 lux. Indoors, the level drops to
200 lux, and in front of the TV with the lights dimmed, the
brightness is only 10 lux. 
