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Dream Machines & Other Illuminating Ideas
I struggle getting up on dark mornings and find it hard to switch off at night and go to sleep. Light is an essential controlling factor in our wellbeing. Light enters the brain through the eyes, and neural impulses are transmitted to the hypothalamus, one of the main output nuclei of the emotional brain. The hypothalamus directly controls mood, appetite, sleep, temperature and sex drive. After reaching the hypothalamus, nerve impulses travel to the pineal gland. A hormone, melatonin, is produced in this gland during the hours of darkness and it induces sleep. Melatonin production is suppressed by light, which explains why we wake up when exposed to bright light. In the spring, the hypothalamus is energised by the increase in light levels. In the dark of winter, we are likely to have less energy and some of us may suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Body cycles are not only seasonal but also work in 24-hour cycles. Sleepiness, dreaming, hormone secretion, body temperature and digestion are regulated by this cycle (and not necessarily when we choose to sleep). That is why those hours before midnight can give such satisfying sleep. The body’s cycles, however, can be trained by exposure to light. Just as sunflowers train their heads towards the sun, our hypothalamus is designed to orient itself to the changing rhythm of shortening and lengthening days. So imagine me on a dark morning. My hypothalamus is deep in the sleep cycle, triggering hormones to absorb water, reduce body heat, and my pineal is secreting melatonin. Waking up isn't easy. I am keen to test the bodyclock.
Tim and I need to wake up at 6.45am. We set the Lumie Bodyclock for this time and it comes on half an hour beforehand and it simulates the appearance of the sun as it rises. As the rays appear they register in my hypothalamus and prepare my body for waking. Dreams begin to become less intense, the body temperature and cortisol levels rise, my appetite is stimulated, and my brain’s neural activity levels increase. I slowly awake – not drowsily – but to complete wakefulness.
At the other end of the day, we programme the clock to put us to sleep with a simulated sunset. The sunset gives me a sense of well-being and descending calm. I inevitably drift off to sleep and sleep soundly.
I don't generally like gadgets but I like the bodyclock. It has made dark work/school mornings less stressful and falling asleep much easier. Tim too, a very light sleeper, likes the simulated dusk effect as it helps him sleep more soundly. So if you have problems at either end of the day with sleep, I recommend this product. It won't get the kids breakfast or make you better at your job but it will help you get a better start and end to every day.
Maddy Harland
While Maddy has been improving her mornings with dawn simulation, I have tried illuminating my early evening dog walks with a Forever Flashlight. These intriguing torches have no batteries and work on the Faraday principle of a magnet passing through copper coils to generate electricity. The motive power comes from you shaking the torch and the energy generated is stored in a capacitor. Until recently this power wouldn't have lasted long but the advent of high brightness LEDs has changed all that. The large flashlight can produce up to 30 minutes of illumination from just 1 minutes shaking, while the small version produces around 5 minutes.
What did I think of them? Well I went from sceptical to impressed, they work much better than I expected. You really do get a lot of light for little energy input. The beam is bright blue-white in the centre and fades out softly. Not as intense as a conventional bulb battery torch but good enough for most applications. These torches were rather annoying for dog walking as there is a certain amount of backlight which robs you of night vision. That said they are ideal for emergency use. Rugged, water resistant and needing no batteries, I will definitely always keep some around.
John Adams
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Lumie Bodyclock Classic with Radio
Forever Flashlights
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