Menu
Time to celebrate – if you’re reading this, you’ve made it to the end of the week – the first hurdle was just getting through Monday. As this paper explains, the Monday Effect can be a killer with a higher than average risk of road accidents and ‘cognitive failures’, including railway controllers making mistakes. This paper gives some fascinating background. Trouble getting to sleep on Sunday evening seems to be a key factor – perhaps exacerbated by later bedtimes on Friday and Saturday and a few drinks won’t help. The solution? Make an extra effort to switch off early on Sunday evening and get outside first thing on Monday morning. Cycle or walk to work if you can – may be safer than the roads! – The Monday Effect Revisited: A Diary and Sleep Actigraphy Study
You may have been recovering from Monday but probably noticed that Tuesday was Valentine’s. Although staying up for romance is a time-honoured tradition, the new science of beauty sleep suggests that the best gift you could give is an early night! This article explains that your beloved is likely to get twice as many fine lines if they only five hours’ sleep compared with seven. I’m a big fan of wrinkles myself but I also love my beauty sleep! – The Truth About Beauty Sleep
Dark nights are becoming a bit of a theme this week
One benefit is a reduction in falls – a painful and costly result of disrupted sleep patterns in older adults.
According to the WHO, falls are the second leading unitentional cause of death after road traffic accidents. According to the NHS in the UK, one in three adults over 65 and over half of those over 80 will suffer from at least one fall per year. As well as the physical pain and loss of confidence, these falls are costly. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, medical costs associated with non-fatal fall injuries alone cost an estimated $50 billion – Cost of Older Adult Falls
So it’s a privilege to invite you to this event where Professor Shadab Rahman will talk about recent work that led to 43% reduction in falls linked to circadian lighting. Care Home Manager Michelle Borreson from Gundersen Health will share the business case for her investment: not only was she delighted to see a reduction in falls, but a cut in her energy bills – Innovators in Residential Healthcare
This paper explains the link between light pollution and degenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease – Parkinson’s disease and light: The bright and the Dark sides
Campaigning for better (not brighter) street lights could help your local council to save money too: This piece from JLL makes the business case – Why cities are calling time on their traditional bright lights
Dark sky tourism
This article suggests that maybe we should be heading to Theydon Bois for a view of the ultimate bright lights – the stars! Thank you Wilfred L Bott for the link.
Lots of great tips on other dark sky national parks in the UK – and what you will see when you get there – What are International Dark Sky Parks and International Dark Sky Reserves?
and the international dark sky association – International Dark Sky Parks
Bright lights for green fingers
Most of my family are keen gardeners- my brilliant welsh cousins are full-time professionals! As the green shoots of spring start to burst through in our Dorset microclimate, here is an article from the Royal Horticultural Society about lighting for plants that you might enjoy – Artificial lighting for indoor plants