THURSDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Nighttime exposure to short-wavelength light, or so-called "blue light," may improve alertness and performance, according to study findings published in the Feb. 1 issue of Sleep.
Steven W. Lockley, Ph.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues compared the effects of exposure to monochromatic blue light (460 nanometers) or green light (555 nanometers) on 16 healthy adults for 6.5 hours during the biological night.
During subsequent performance tests, the researchers found that subjects exposed to blue light consistently rated themselves less sleepy, had faster reaction times and had fewer attention lapses than those exposed to green light. Subjects exposed to blue light also had decreased EEG power density in the delta/theta range and increased power density in the high-alpha range, the report indicates.
"Short-wavelength sensitivity to the acute alerting effects of light indicates that the visual photopic system is not the primary photoreceptor system mediating these responses to light," the authors write.
In an accompanying statement, Lockley said the results open a new range of possibilities for using light to improve health. "One application of these studies may be to help improve alertness in those people who need to sustain attention for long periods of time such as long distance drivers, pilots or even astronauts," he said. "Blue light exposure for shift-workers could also improve safety."
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required
