Sleepiness and light levels

01/08/2008 by Tina.

It’s mid afternoon and I long for a siesta. My eyes are drooping and I simply can’t be bothered to do anything. So I thought I’d pick up the book laying nearby, plump for a page and write something about whatever it is I find. And hey presto, it’s about how light levels affect the release of melatonin (the sleep hormone).

It seems in the summer the illumination level is 113,284 lux, in winter it drops to 58,895 lux. At dusk the level has drastically reduced to 8,200 lux, although just 1000 lux is sufficient to suppress melatonin levels in the same way as daylight . In an office environment (which is where I am right now) the light level is a mere 500-750 lux, i.e. NOT enough to stop melatonin telling my body to feel sleepy! No wonder I need a snooze

Guess I’ll go and stick my head outside, catch myself a few lux before I start catching a few zzzzzzz’s.

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