The biological role of light and regulation of melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the human biological clock. Its production increases in the evening as light decreases, peaking during the night. The key point of measurement here was DLMO – the precise moment when the body naturally begins to produce melatonin. Application of the tested lighting sent information to the regulation of rhythms that the day was still continuing. This delayed the natural onset of hormone production, and the internal biological time of all 9 analyzed pilots successfully shifted by an average of 1.32 hours. The resulting shift meant that the body began to consider significantly later hours as the nighttime phase than usual, thus improving the conditions for working during the night shift.
Functional effects and interpretation of the results
The measured data show that the strategic use of circadian-effective light in an operational environment really works. It helps pilots by demonstrably reducing subjective sleepiness and supporting cognitive functions.
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