New circadian info for your industry.

Every industry needs leaders in applied circadian science.

Hi,

Who needs to understand circadian rhythms? And where is all this information coming from? I started learning about circadian rhythms when I was suffering from rashes that wouldn't go away, and I wrote that story here:

Circadian Skincare

That embarrassing story has been one of my most well-read ones so far! But circadian health turns out to be a much bigger story than my own little woes.

Walking path lit by sea-turtle friendly circadian lights.

To write this newsletter, I have learned from many different industries—from Assisted Living to Wildlife Management. I thought I would make a list of the main perspectives on circadian wellness I have found so far. Who knows! Maybe you are in one of these industries, and could help advance your own workplace along this circadian path.

1. Assisted living. Sunsetting is a common problem among people with dementia. Adopting more circadian lifestyle choices is the only known-cure for this condition.

2. Corporate. Management teams are all about measuring and improving productivity. Companies are implementing little things like bumping the workplace thermostat and brightness up. Across thousands of employees, gains in productivity outweigh the higher costs of electricity.

3. Fitness. Circadian fitness centers are cropping up to help people who can't lose weight. Working out outside and adopting circadian lifestyle choices helps above-and-beyond indoor fitness centers.

4. Healthcare. Hospitals are notorious for their terrible shifts and giving their employees cancer¹. But there is an emerging frontier led by patient-care advocates. With new, tunable lighting, they are making rooms and nursing stations dimmer at night. The idea is to allow alertness in employees, but protect the sleep of patients.

5. Mental health. Mental health practitioners use chrono-therapies to heal depression. Enforced darkness and blue-blocking glasses deal with schizophrenic and manic episodes².

6. Military. The Navy is leading the way in circadian shifts. After finding out that non-circadian shifts cause "worse-than-drunk" performance, they changed³. They are now teaching leaders how to create circadian crew schedules. Mottos such as "sleep is a weapon," abound.

7. Special education. Sleep disturbances are well-known aspects of autism, adhd and other behavioral problems. Parent sleep education is a cost-effective way to improve classroom behavior⁴.

8. Security. Early outdoor LED lighting systems increase glare and reduce visibility. They have proven ineffective at preventing crime. New, warm toned LEDs that are less bright actually improve visibility.

9. Tourism. Sky glow is overpowering the natural beauty of the night skies around the world. Adopting dark-sky practices is economic and cultural security for places with night-sky tourism.

10. Wildlife management. Sea turtles, migrating birds, and other animals get confused by city lights. Circadian lighting ordinances allow wildlife to conduct their natural behaviors.

And I'm sure there are many more, such as transportation and manufacturing! Those above are perspectives I have encountered that have informed this newsletter so far.

Have you been finding out about circadian changes in your industry? Login to start the discussion!

1. Lunn, R., Schwingl, P., Atwood, S., etal. (2021). Night Shift Work and Light at Night and Cancer.

2. Walker, W., Walton, J., DeVries, C, Nelson, R. (2020). Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health.

3. Naval Postgraduate School. (2017). Crew Endurance Handbook: A Guide to Applying Circadian-Based Watchbills.

4. Malow, B., Adkins, K., Reynolds, A., et al (2014). Parent-Based Sleep Education for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord, 44(1).