Light and Rhythm
Light and Rhythms
This week we are going to look at how light and rhythms affect our mind and body.
You’d be surprised to know that our body has is not exactly 24 hours. Estimates using experiments with people removed from any time cues have suggested times from just over 24 hours to 25 hours.[i]
We use Zeitgeber (or time giver) to bring our body clock back inline.[ii] Two of the main Zeitgeber’s is light a
As you can imagine, our artificial lighting and heated houses can interfere with these cues and affect our body clock.
Before we had artificial lighting, Coulthard argues, we lived according to the sun. We woke when it rose and slept when it was dark. The light would change throughout the day from gentle at dawn, to harsh at midday and soft again at night. Temperature fluctuations also helped with the cooling at night providing us a cue to sleep.
So the answer is lots of natural light into our houses with big windows?
Yes and no.
Coulthard argues that this would create too much heat and can be dazzling.
Instead she suggests:
Windows above eye-level to reduce glare, whilst still providing natural life,
Ledges or platforms under windows to bounce life into a room,
Skylights or light tunnels, and
Internal courtyards.
Additionally the following decorative features can help:
Lighter walls and floor,
Mirrors, and
Curtains as protection from street lights.
Lastly we can change our behaviour by,
Getting more daylight during the day by
Sitting next to the window,
Having lunch outside, or
Exercising outdoors.
We can also use the latest LED technology to change the colour of lights throughout the day to mimic the natural changes.
In general, you can use blue/cool lights during the day and red/warm ones at night.
We will look more into this next week.
Enjoy.
[i] https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/1999/07/human-biological-clock-set-back-an-hour/
[ii] https://www.verywellhealth.com/zeitgebers-and-how-they-work-3015395