While most of us know how important it is to get enough sleep for our health and well-being, many of us do not get as much as we need. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than one-quarter of the U.S. population does not get enough sleep. For people who work the night shift like nurses and other health care professionals, getting enough sleep is even more challenging. Because the internal clocks in our bodies are designed to wake with the sun and sleep at night, shift workers struggle to maintain their bodies natural rhythms or "circadian rhythms." This struggle can result in sleep deprivation, reduced alertness at work and other health problems such as gastrointestinal disorders and depression. What can a sleep-deprived health professional do to retain a healthy sleep pattern, other than quit their job or turn to over-the-counter drugs? The drug-free, natural solution can be as simple as turning on a light. Verilux, a company that has 56 years experience in healthy lighting technology, has a number of light therapy products to help restore energy and aid in regularizing sleep/wake patterns.
The Verilux Rise and Shine® Wake Up Light is a dawn/dusk simulator that helps realign the body's natural internal clock by gradually decreasing light at sleep time and gradually increasing light at wake time. By gradually exposing you to light on a regular schedule, the Rise and Shine® Wake Up Light can help reset your body's natural circadian rhythms and helps you wake up feeling energized and ready for the day ahead. Instead of an annoying buzzer to shock you out of bed, the Rise and Shine® Wake Up Light features four soothing natural soundscapes or an FM radio that gently wakes you up. For those who want a little extra time to wake up, a snooze feature comes with 20 different levels of brightness.
A more elaborate dawn/dusk simulator created by Verilux is the Rise and Shine® Natural Sleep System. This fully customizable sleep system features an adjustable LED light panel which uses both blue and white light to help you fall asleep peacefully and wake refreshed. For those who want to use their own lighting, the unit allows you to plug in an external lamp which will work with the LED panel to help you sleep or wake. The Rise and Shine system features a powerful 5 watt speaker for optimum sound quality, an FM radio and an MP3 player that can support up to 800MP3 files from a USB thumb drive or SD card. Another nice sound system feature allows you to connect to external audio sources, including iPods®, so you can fully customize the audio portion of your sleeping and waking experience. If soothing nature sounds appeal to you, the Rise and Shine System features eight natural ambient soundscapes to gently relax you to sleep. When morning comes, the Rise & Shine light panel will slowly brighten as your selected audio increases in volume in 5, 15 or 30 minute increments.
Nurses who work the night shift can often use a burst of energy during the day when they are going about the tasks of everyday life. Although spending some time outdoors to absorb some natural sunlight could provide a much needed boost, busy lives don't always allow the time we need to take a break. A caffeine-free natural energy boost can be found with the Verilux HappyLight 2500 Compact Energy Lamp. The HappyLight has up to 2,500 LUX (a measurement of visible light) of Natural Spectrum light which simulates day light without harmful ultraviolet rays. Exposing your body to this light can naturally make you more alert and focused and give your spirits a lift. This 9-inch compact light is equipped with an energy efficient, cool burning 26 Watt bulb that produces 150 Watts of Natural Spectrum Daylight and can travel with you from room to room as you bathe yourself in its refreshing light.
Light Matters
Common sense tells us that getting enough sleep and exposure to natural light are both critical to keeping us energized and healthy. Numerous scientific studies have been conducted that prove we need light in our lives to help us regulate our internal clocks and boost our energy. According to a 2008 article published in the Annals Academy of Medicine by Dr. Joshua Gooley, bright light therapy for circadian rhythm sleep disorders is an effective treatment option. So if you are a nurse or night shift worker who is having trouble regulating your sleep, a natural drug-free solution is to take advantage of the many light therapy products available such as those by Verilux. Restoring your body's sleep rhythms and regaining your energy is within your reach-so don't forget to turn on the lights!
Rachel Huber,
and
Hulet Smith, OT
