fbpx
Categories
Circadian science Lighting Sleeping troubles

The Dark Side of Daylight Saving Time

Welp, here we are yet again. We are once more setting our clocks forward one hour to have more evening light. Why? That’s a good question. The history of Daylight Saving Time (DST) is complex and goes back to 1918 (in the United States). But lately more and more people are asking if it’s even […]

Categories
Circadian science Sleeping troubles

The way you think about sleep is wrong

“I didn’t get nearly enough sleep last night.” “I need to get to bed sooner.” “I just can’t wake up in the morning, and I’m not a morning person.” We often think of sleep as a debt to be paid to some mysterious collector. Sleep evades us when we most want it and won’t let […]

Categories
Circadian science Lighting Sleeping troubles

The health benefits of darkness

Our apps tell you when to avoid light because light exposure is the number one input to your body’s circadian clock (which regulates sleep, metabolism, immune response, DNA repair, physical performance and more). Light at some times speeds up your clock and helps you fall asleep faster, while light at other times can slow down […]

Categories
Circadian science Lighting Sleeping troubles

What really helps you go to sleep

Don’t use your phone before bed! Turn off overhead lights in the evening! Block blue light as you wind down! There are tons of recommendations out there for helping you get to sleep at night that deal with light and technology, and—spoiler alert—I think they’re right on the money. But missing from the standard advice […]

Categories
Circadian science Lighting Sleeping troubles

How to avoid bright light and why we recommend it

Imagine you’re on a boat. This boat has a sail, which you can put up or pull down. You’re on the ocean, and you’re trying to get to the sweet, sweet island of sleep. You can control the boat’s sail as much as you want. The only problem is: you can’t control the wind.  But […]

Categories
Circadian science Lighting Technology

My New Year’s (Circadian) Resolution

Although circadian rhythms are being recognized more and more for their relevance to jet lag, shift work, the grogginess people feel after daylight saving time transitions, and health and medicine at large, it’s still a long way behind sleep in entering popular discourse. People know “8 hours a night,” but they don’t know “align your […]

Categories
Circadian science Sleeping troubles

How to beat jet lag

Ah travel—booking tickets, hopping on a plane, immersing yourself in a new locale, and…feeling more tired than you’ve ever felt before. Jet lag is our name for all of the circadian disruption—and subsequent fatigue—that comes from traveling and changing time zones. While we can’t help with the physical toll being in an airplane seat for […]

Categories
Circadian science Lighting Sleeping troubles

Sync your batteries, Shift your awareness

When are you most productive? Are you an early bird, a night owl, or somewhere in between? Your prime productivity window each day may be different from mine, and it may even shift during your lifetime. For example, my current prime productivity period is from roughly 9am to 12pm each day, but ten years ago […]

Categories
Circadian science

The Future of Circadian Rhythms in Healthcare (It’s more than just sleep!)

Sleep is heavily influenced by your circadian rhythms, but it’s not the only function in your body that falls into that category. In fact, circadian rhythms govern almost every process our body carries out over the day, including metabolism, immune response, DNA repair, and physical performance. One topic that’s been getting a lot of buzz […]

Categories
Circadian science Interviews Technology

Interview With Bharath A.

Thanks so much for joining us this morning! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your research interests? I am currently a theoretical and computational chronobiologist. I work in the area of circadian clocks. My PhD was in the field of wireless communications with a focus on designing new technology to provide […]