Using tech, lighting for better sleep, healthier circadian clock - The Washington Post

When the glasses were used along with other light technologies, such as special floor lamps, every morning for two hours over a period of one month, the patients took fewer naps during the day, fell asleep more easily at bedtime and slept about 20 minutes longer at night, according to Figueiro’s preliminary data.

Zeitzer is a scientific adviser for a sleep mask that flashes light through the eyelids in the wee hours of the morning, just enough to rewind the brain’s clock without waking its wearer until sunrise.

Compared with continuous light, flashes may be more effective at penetrating the eyelids to reach the brain, according to a study published last year by Zeitzer and other scientists in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Calendaring sleep at night is essential, says physician Royan Kamyar, who created Owaves, an app that lets people plan their daily schedules according to their circadian rhythms.

Research suggests the nutrients and medicines at certain times; the Owaves app provides daily pie charts and notifications nudging you to eat in the morning, midday and just before sunset.

Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Heath Research Program at the University of Arizona, says the calendar concept is promising in theory, pending studies that prove they help.