Blue Lights To Reset Internal Clocks

holy_calamity writes "Researchers at RPI are testing the effects of putting blue LEDs inside cars to keep drivers alert. People driving through the night are much more likely to cause accidents because our circadian rhythms just want to sleep — blue light at around 450nm wavelength can fool them into thinking it's morning and keep them awake."

Blue wavelengths = No night vision as well

[spazmonkey]

Blue wavelengths also have the nasty side effect of destroying night vision almost instantly, fooling the pupils to contract - likely for the very same reason it fools the rest of the body into thinking its daylight too.

Not a desirable or safe side effect when making something specifically intended to be used for driving in the dark. It's why the military uses red lights in their vehicle cabins and cockpits.

Re:Blue wavelengths = No night vision as well

[bhtooefr]

Well, there are HID bulbs, which, if they're OEM, should be more white than blue, and should be properly aimed.

Then there's the aftermarket HID kits, which are often blue. And, there's the blue-coated bulbs, to make people think you've got HIDs when you don't.

How it works

[Dachannien]

Light, in general, suppresses the production of melatonin by the retina, and melatonin plays a role in maintaining circadian rhythms. Higher levels of melatonin make you more sleepy, which is why melatonin is sold OTC as a sleep aid.

One of the treatments for some sleep disorders is called "light therapy", and involves having a fairly bright light in view for about an hour after you wake up. This inhibits melatonin production and resets the circadian cycle to keep that as your wake-up time (which also places your go-to-sleep time at an appropriate time of day). Recent studies indicate that the suppression of melatonin production peaks around 450nm, so a blue light around that wavelength is far more effective per lumen than broad-spectrum light.

So, if you're a person who does a lot of night driving (you work the night shift, you drive trucks at night, etc.), this is great for you, because you can get by with a much dimmer light, perhaps even one in the vehicle while you're driving. If you just need this for one or two nights, you're a bit likely to give yourself jet lag by screwing up your sleep schedule.

Re:Is this really the answer?

[bint]

More careful drivers won't drive at all when drunk. Just *my* own experience. As for statistics:

"For all Americans between 5 and 35 years of age, motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death. Over 50% of these accidents are caused by alcohol impaired drivers."

from http://www.duipictures.com/statisti.htm [duipictures.com] with the note "From statistics complied by the U. S. Dept. of Transportation and the N. H. Department of Safety." Perhaps there is more to read there.

Re:Is this really the answer?

[Jason Levine]

There's a standard drunk driving test that I've seen done many times. I believe even Mythbusters did it once. First, you drive through an obstacle course of cones sober. Then you have a few beers (or some other alcoholic beverage) and drive through the same course. Invariably, you knock over more cones when drunk than when sober. Being intoxicated can wreck havoc with your sense of timing and space, which isn't a good thing when maneuvering a two ton pile of steel at 30mph or more past other two ton piles of steel. On the obstacle course it is just a matter of some flattened cones. On the road, it's a life ended. Is it possible to be drunk and still drive without incident? Sure. However, I still wouldn't say that a drunk driver could ever be considered a safe driver.

Re:Is this really the answer?

[boris111]

I disagree. My car has all red illuminated dash. I bought a phone charger that has a bright blue led on the top. It decreased my night vision drastically especially on a rainy night. I've since put a piece of electric tape over the thing and problem solved.

Re:optional only please

[VeriTea]

My wife has this exact same problem. She was determined to solve it and first tried 'free-running sleep' where she stayed awake until she was tired then slept until she felt refreshed. This resulted in her sometimes being awake all night and gradually lapping herself. I think it worked out to a 28 hour day for her.

That method allowed her to feel refreshed, awake, and productive, but it doesn't work well in our culture. After some research she ordered glasses from www.lowbluelights.com [lowbluelights.com]. We also ordered black-out curtains for every window in our apartment and sealed them every night so that when they are shut it is so dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face. The glasses (which filter out blue light and allow your body to ramp up melatonin production if you put them on 2-3 hours before bed) actually helped, when she could wear them perfectly, but the slightest slip-up and the effect would be lost.

Next we tried using candles only for 3 hours before bed. This worked fantastically well. In fact, I would recommend trying it for a week (be sure to use black out curtains and get rid or completely cover *every* LED, or light source in your house (it will take a lot, you will be surprised). Both of us (and I never thought I had a problem), would become irresistibly drowsy after 2-3 hours of the candle light and would find ourselves waking about 10min before dawn after a two weeks of this method. It was an amazing insight into how different the modern world forces us to be from how we clearly are meant to operate. In addition, we were finally on the exact same sleep schedule, which if you have every had a different sleep schedule then your spouse you will know it can be a source of frustration.

The candles were not without serious drawbacks. After a few months they turned the ceilings of our apartment a light gray color from soot, it was hard to not be able to read at night very well, and we were concerned about the fire hazard and the cost. Finally, we tried amber compact florescent light for every room as well as an amber screen cover for the computer monitor. This works well, not as good as the candle light, but much better then before we started using it. It used to be that both of us loved having every lamp turned on with the brightest bulb we could get until right before bed. Now neither of us can stand bright lights at night, it is like our bodies start to crave darkness when it comes time for it. This is the method we have used for the past 1-1/2 years, and it has brought a lot of normalcy to my wife's sleeping.

Our next plan is to try and get some red lights to mix with the amber lights in the hope that it will allow us to get the full effect of candle light again. It is awesome to wake up fully refreshed right before dawn, and to fall asleep as soon as you head hits the pillow at night.