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LED lights are taking the lighting market by storm due to their greater longevity and energy efficiency compared to incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. They are now to be found in every application and appliance from our televisions and laptops to our smartphones. However, despite their benefits they can also have a negative impact on our sleeping patterns. Read on to find out more. And check out this article for more information on LED lights and different solar lighting solutions.

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm.

Previous research has analyzed variations in sleep patterns, including number of hours slept, quality of sleep, and sleep-wake times, and found an association with cognitive impairments, health, and performance. However, few studies have considered or accurately quantified the effects of regular sleep patterns.

In a new study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), researchers objectively measured sleep and circadian rhythms, and the association to academic performance in college students, and found that irregular patterns of sleep and wakefulness correlated with lower grade point average, delayed sleep/wake timing, and delayed release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. The results were published in Scientific Reports on June 12, 2017.

You can find the artcile in Brigham and Women’s Hospital blog.