When it comes to healthy sleep, plays a huge role. The discussion often vilifies light, in particular blue light, but is it always bad? In this episode we will:
- Discuss light's role in the regulation of our circadian rhythm and by proxy, sleep.
- Understand the anatomy of how light interacts with the eye/retina, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the pineal body, and eventually creates melatonin suppression
- Understand how blue light came to be acknowledged as the fundamental light color of this process
- Differentiate light quality and light intensity and further differentiate light intensity at the source (lumen) and destination (lux)
- Find out that even small amount of light or sustained light at night (LAN) can disrupt sleep and diminish health
- Explore how lighting that capitalizes on these characteristics can promote sleep and also support wakefulness.
- Learn about products meant to diminish light and enhance light
- Touch upon the practical/research implications of light pollution and light manipulation in novel environments (submarines)
Produced by: Maeve Winter
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Thanks for listening and sleep well!
