1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Artificial Light - Keeping in Time with Your Body Clock

04:36

This browser does not support the video element.

April 30, 2012

When night falls, we turn on the light. But artificial light has an impact on the way we sleep. Researchers at Charité University Hospital in Berlin have found that it hampers the output of the sleep hormone melatonin.

To help keep a person's biological clock on track, scientists in Stuttgart have been working with light diodes in various colors. Cold light with plenty of blue tones promotes activity, while red light encourages relaxation. Artificial light can be adjusted to suit a person's body clock.

Skip next section DW's Top Story

DW's Top Story

Skip next section More stories from DW

More stories from DW