Lighten Up, Stay Alert
If your mind drifts during the day, lighten up.
Bright lights increase both alertness and perception. You may actually work better and think sharper. Here's how it works.
Bright Ideas
You know bright lights can keep you awake at night. But turn 'em on during the day and you've got an instant brain boost. Although one study suggested that blue light provides the biggest boost, any kind of light will do. The light has a direct impact on areas of the brain that are involved in alertness.
Still not enlightened? Here's more: Research shows that bright-light therapy can also perk you up if you experience excessive daytime sleepiness. It works by getting your brain's internal clock and sleep/wake cycle in sync, so that sleep and wakefulness occur at the appropriate times.
Quick Self-Check
Are you feeling sleep deprived? Take the RealAge Sleep Assessment and find out what your trouble areas are.
RealAge Benefit:
Learning a new game that requires brainpower can make your RealAge 1.3 years younger.
RealAge Smart Search: Learn more about the potential benefits of light therapy with RealAge Smart Search.
Daytime light exposure dynamically enhances brain responses. Vandewalle, G., Balteau, E., Phillips, C., Degueldre, C., Moreau, V., Sterpenich, V., Albouy, G., Darsaud, A., Desseilles, M., Dang-Vu, T. T., Peigneux, P., Luxen, A., Dijk, D. J., Maquet, P., Current Biology 2006 Aug 22;16(16):1616-1621.
Blue light improves cognitive performance. Lehrl, S., Gerstmeyer, K., Jacob, J. H., Frieling, H., Henkel, A. W., Meyrer, R., Wiltfang, J., Kornhuber, J., Bleich, S., Journal of Neural Transmission 2007 Apr;114(4):457-460.
Recent advances in the treatment and management of excessive daytime sleepiness. Black, J., Duntley, S. P., Bogan, R. K., O'Malley, M. B., CNS Spectrums 2007 Feb;12(2 Suppl 2):1-16.
