26 Mar 2012

Soon, LED bio-bulb to help you get restful sleep


Those struggling to get a restful night’s sleep will soon be able to have one, thanks to the new LED bio-bulb that will allow people to see at night without hindering body’s natural mechanisms.
Most people usually find it difficult to get a restful sleep for several hours after sitting under bright lights post sunset.
Now a Florida inventor is testing a new LED bio-bulb that could regulate the body's circadian rhythm by helping control the production of melatonin, the body’s sleep hormone that tells us when it’s night time, Discovery News reported.
Fred Maxik, founder and chief technology officer of Lighting Science Group Corp asserted that this can be achieved by eliminating a small segment of the blue wavelength of light (around 465 to 485 nanometers) produced by the lightbulb.
 
“We’re looking at a way to filter out that part of the spectrum, and still have a white light,” Maxik said.
“Our ability to restore the natural position of where we were and natural hormonal secretions is an appealing one.”
Almost 20 years ago, medical researchers found that the eye has a separate photoreceptor that picks up wavelengths of light, and then, sends a signal to the hypothalamus, which secretes melatonin.
Although melatonin does not make a person sleep, it does tell the body to prepare to rest.
Maxik said that he is attempting to help people see what they are doing at night, like reading, doing homework or watching TV, without making it hard to fall asleep when they are ready. He is also trying to make it dimmable. 
“You need to remove part of the light spectrum, a significant notch taken out of that, and create a light that people don’t see as something that’s unusual.”
“It has to be something that's natural,” Maxik added.

No comments: