Scientists at the Lighting Science Group in the United States have invented a lighting bulb that can help induce sleep in babies.
The Sleepy Baby, as the special light is called, works by creating a soothing environment for the babies to sleep without realising they are being cajoled into it.
Research into lighting has continuously made scientists understand for years that different levels and colours of light can have powerful biological effects on humans.
The group said that their research was geared towards creating artificial lights designed to regulate the body’s basic need to rest and wake up by stimulating receptors in the eyes that signal to the brain when it is time for bed and when it is time to go about the activities of the day.
The need for research in this area is captured by a Professor of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Charles A. Czeisler, who stated that, “Just in the last 50 years we have had a tenfold increase in the amount of artificial light being used per capita, so everything is much brighter between when the sun sets and when we go to bed at night.
“That has had the effect of pushing back the body’s internal clock by three to five hours, meaning that people are going to bed later but are “still trying to get up with the chickens.”
General Electric, Philips, Digital Lumens and LumiFi are other companies in the lightening industry with artificial-light products that can induce sleep, aid learning and create any desired effect on the surrounding area.