Mental Health and Wellbeing

Modern Lighting Disrupts Our Brain and Body Clocks…

Our bodies are made of trillions of clocks. Virtually all of the tissues in our bodies, including our brains, operate with a genetic clockwork that allows our bodies to do the right thing at the right time. For example, our heart expects to work hard in the day and recover and repair at night. Our entire bodies are set up in this way. Typical modern lighting tends to disrupt the clocks of our brains and bodies, making us more vulnerable to poor health.

If you’ve ever had jet lag, you’ve experienced the effect of having a disrupted clock. One of the most obvious effects is on your mood. When we are jet lagged, we feel miserable. For many with poor mental health, they live in a perpetually jet lagged state. Light can have a powerful positive effect. Healthy light can fix disrupted clocks and help us feel healthier and happier.

Emotional Regulation

Sleep deprivation reduces trust and increases selfish behaviour during social exchanges.

During sleep restriction there is a reduced functional connectivity between the emotion regulation centre and emotion processing centre, leading to enhanced reactivity to negative stimuli. This can include irritable aggressive behaviour and bullying.