Blue Light Could Help Teenagers Wake More Quickly

October 30, 2012…The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that almost 70 percent of school children get insufficient sleep—less than 8 hours on school nights. This type of restricted sleep schedule has been linked with depression, behavior problems, poor performance at school, drug use, and automobile accidents. A new study from the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that exposure to morning short-wavelength “blue” light has the potential to help sleep-deprived adolescents prepare for the challenges of the day, more so than dim light.

The study was a collaboration between associate professor and director of the LRC Light and Health Program Mariana Figueiro and LRC director and professor Mark S. Rea. Results of the study titled “Short-Wavelength Light Enhances Cortisol Awakening Response in Sleep-Restricted Adolescents,” were recently published in the open access International Journal of Endocrinology. The full text is available at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ije/2012/301935/.

Commercial Lighting Tampa FL, 813-868-7509 813-868-7594 813-868-7595

8138687509 8138687594 8138687595 CommercialLightingTampa.com