Biological LED lighting with circadian control

A portable biological LED luminaire comes to market

The regular rhythm to which the human biological clock is adapted is the alternation of day and night, that is, of light and darkness. Light, as one of the basic environmental factors affecting our everyday functioning, plays a significant part in a person’s physical and mental well-being, their work performance and also the body’s ability to regenerate.

The cycle of day and night has a major influence on living organisms. (Photo source: pixabay.com)

Nowadays we use more light than we need. We extend our days with artificial lighting and even at night we do not have complete darkness. A large amount of poorly chosen and poorly installed street lighting causes an alarming level of light pollution. Even with the blinds drawn, plenty of light gets into homes at night. At the same time, excessive lighting in the evening considerably disrupts the synchronisation of daily rhythms. Through light contamination of our surroundings – for example, an advertisement shining through the window while we sleep, sleeping with the television on, or sitting for long hours in front of a computer screen with blue LED lighting – we disrupt our internal biorhythms.

Even low intensities of artificial light at night can disrupt the internal clock and the release of hormones. The circadian system of mammals, and therefore the human circadian system too, is most sensitive to so-called blue light. When our eyes register blue light during darkness, the melatonin level is low and the body begins to secrete the hormone cortisol (a hormone with a stimulating effect). The light from our devices is enriched with so-called short wavelengths, so it has a higher concentration of blue light than natural light. The blue part of the spectrum therefore affects the level that signals sleep more than any other wavelength.

Manufacturers of LED lighting are aware of these problems and respond to them with a wide range of products available to their customers. One of the latest developments in biological LED lighting is the portable circadian LED luminaire, which makes it possible to synchronise the circadian rhythm – either to increase alertness and productivity or, conversely, to prepare for sleep. The user of the luminaire can take advantage of the flexibility of the right healthy light at any time of day. It was created using dynamic technology first developed in cooperation with NASA to support the circadian rhythms of astronauts on the International Space Station.

Dual-spectrum circadian technology ensures that the user always has the right light at the right time. This means it is easy to move from the blue part of the spectrum, which boosts energy and performance, to a spectrum depleted of blue to support a restful night’s sleep. Energy-efficient LED circadian lighting is designed to provide the best protection and to minimise the negative effects of blue-wavelength light at night.

Jet lag (desynchronosis) is fatigue resulting from the disruption of circadian biorhythms after crossing several time zones by air. (Photo source: pixabay.com)

Smith Johnson, a physician, preventive aviation medicine expert and scientific adviser, stated that the dual spectrum is ideal for travellers, athletes, pilots and even astronauts, who do not have a regular alternation of light/dark cycles and must always deliver peak performance. On longer journeys by aircraft, the biorhythm is disrupted by crossing time zones, which may be accompanied by headaches, sleep disorders or digestive problems.

The essence of the problem is that the internal biological clock is, relative to the new environmental conditions – above all light – shifted out of phase to varying degrees, and it takes some time to realign it with the new rhythm. On westward flights the clock “lags behind”, and on eastward flights it is “ahead”. Westward flights are generally easier to cope with than eastward ones. Johnson went on to say: “I am thrilled that I can pack a luminaire to help me shift my circadian clock wherever I am – on an aeroplane, for example.”

Progress and an active lifestyle have contributed not only to the lengthening of the day as such, but also to the extension of normal working hours. According to the Czech scientist and expert on human biorhythms Helena Illnerová, our day lasts up to 16 hours because we supplement natural light with artificial light. When the day is this long, people are highly active. When there is less light, the period of intense mental activity also becomes shorter. Exposure to light in the evening and in the first half of the night delays the onset of melatonin production, which delays the circadian clock. This is why people who work night shifts, for example, often experience disruption of the circadian rhythm of their sleep cycle. Sleep of optimal length and quality is therefore becoming increasingly important. The intensity of night-time light has a significant effect on sleep duration. While in 1960 the average sleep duration was 8 to 9 hours, in 2009 it was less than 6.5 hours. According to research, average sleep duration has fallen by almost 2 hours over the last 50 years.

Blue light is not harmful in itself – quite the opposite. Blue light is contained in natural daylight and we need it, especially in the morning – to set our biological clock, to adjust to a new local time after flights across time zones and to optimise our performance during the day. However, if we use blue light in the evening, when the blue component of natural outdoor light begins to fade, our biological clock may be delayed, and the body does not start producing the sleep hormone, so the subjective biological night does not begin either. It is therefore a good idea to light the rooms in your home with warm white light and, at a reasonable time before going to bed, to switch to warm yellow lighting while avoiding blue light. Some devices have a so-called night mode that helps to reduce the blue component of the light. It is worth remembering that light and darkness greatly influence the functioning of the human body.

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Biological LED lighting with circadian control

A portable biological LED luminaire comes to market

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Michal Chochlík