Chronobiology: the rhythm of the light
The sun determines our rhythm. However, mobile phones and Bürotage bring him a mess
Light and Dark have a strong influence on our well-being. People in sun-poor regions are more likely to be affected by seasonal depression
Almost ten percent of the Bevöpopulation in the sun-poor Alaska suffer from seasonal depression. In the sonnenverwökids Florida is only 1.5 percent. Typical für the colloquially as winter depression, is called Suffering: In the Früin spring, when fog and darkness subsides, the symptoms vanished.
Not all people react psychologically so strongly to a lack of natürlichem light. Nevertheless, the Figures show how important the sun füour mood is. Many people füand fail to hit in the Winter of limp, listless, müde and low.
"The are Üremnants of the Winterschlafs", erläexplained Dr. Dieter Kunz, chief physician für sleep – and Chrono-medicine at Berlin’s St. Hedwig-hospital. "The Köthe body goes into a Energiesaving mode that we don’t need more at the present time." The Signal gives him the darkness that surrounds him now in the morning as in the evening.
If the owl needs to be a lark
The change between day and night, between Light and Dark is the main clock für our biological clock. It regulates, among other things, the hormonal balance. "There is actually no function in the Köbody, the non-rhythmic abläuft", erklärt Professor Dr Till Roenneberg from the Institute für Medical psychology of the University of MüMunich.
In the case of any people, the internal clock is ticking a little bit different. Scientists distinguish between two socalled Chrono-types: larks and owls. Wäduring the larks in the morning, fit to jump out of bed and in the evening früh gästand up, be spä the owls only;t really awake and sleep dafür in the morning läViking.
Because the world – especially in the modern world of work – für Morgenmenschen made lässt at the owl easy to observe what effect it has to life against the rhythm of their own. A team of researchers from America studied for six years, the sleeping habits of über 400 000 people between 38 and 73 years.
The internal clock with Füßen contact rächt themselves
A result: The owls of developing, among other things, häsingle-stage Diabetes and mental Suffering. In the study period, the muffle as Frü died more tomorrow;haufsteher.
However, many people live not only contrary to their natünatural Chronotype. They also live without the natüthe natural Light-dark cycle. Tagsüber you get a little light and in the evening too much. "So many come from the us, the internal clock with Füßen", erläexpert Roenneberg explained. The main reason is that Many workers are barely under the open sky on the road.
Instead, we sit at sunrise in the U-Bahn and tagsüabout in the work room. "In very well-lit Büros people get 500 Lux in the U-Bahn just 20 Lux", doctors Kunz says. The rich, in order to read a book, have no effect on our Köbody. For comparison: On a summer day to refuel draußen just 100 000 Lux, on a gray winter day, still 3500.
Cell phone light is different than light fire
Tagsüabout to get a lot of people so to little light, and at night, the opposite is the Problem: as soon As it däGod, will it switch off in the apartment the lamp, it lights Straßenlaternen and showcase. Right Dunkelheit? The eye gets a little more to see.
This unnatünatural Lichtverhätenancies send the Köbody the wrong signals. The alarm clock in the Winter is still ringing before sunrise, according to bad in the Gänge. Läuft to 23 clock in the bedroom, the TV will not properly müde.
In addition, increasingly more blue light creeps into our daily lives.
Since the discovery of fire, people are unabhäregardless of the moon and the sun, köcan make night into day. But ursprüoriginal sources of Light such as fire and candles, or gas lamps and Glübulbs lights röa number of occasions. LED-lights, built-in Tablets, Smartphones and flat screens, radiation is more likely to bläulich. Your Wellenlälength indicates the Köthe body is particularly strong "Hello Wake up!" instead of "Good Nacht".
Without a TV in the bed
Scientists in Spain were able to show: Who stares in front of the bed a long time on a screen, unterdrückt, the formation of the müde doing hormone Melatonin. Many sleep researchers and doctors see in Smartphones and computers for a reason dafür, why do so many people üabout a bad night’s sleep complaints. You recommend häoften, to banish the first mobile phone and a television from the bedroom, before you grab the drugs.
But how do you realize that it is from the clock? "95 percent of the Bevöpeople remember it is because you to spät sind", Roenneberg says. Those who need a morning alarm clock, don’t live in accordance with the internal clock.
Natüfearful light is important
Especially in the dark autumn and Winter, but many people do not Wake up without an alarm clock. "It is important then, in the morning until noon möas much natüto bekommen" fearful light;, Chrono physician Kunz says. The give of the internal clock a shove, and you roll again at the right time.
Who in the Büro sits, should look also out of the window at the sky. And who lives in the city: in the morning, a Station später on the Bus or U-boarding the train and up there for a walk. A little außergewöhnlicheren Council, an international team of researchers has of Europe. The scientists recommend to go camping for a weekend.
Sleep better in a tent
They studied subjects who were camping in the Rocky Mountains. They wanted to know how much influence natüfearful of light on sleep rhythm. The result: after a few days under the open sky, the internal clock of the participants shifted, adapted to the natüthe natural day-night sequence. The campers slept früa and woke up. Mobile phones and other electrical Geräte were prohibited on the trip.
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