Biological timer blue light and night work
Light is the most powerful zeitgeber for our internal biological clock. If this is out of sync, it can affect our health. As part of a study on shift work, the Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr University Bochum (IPA) carried out personal light measurements on care workers over 24 hours. They allow a detailed analysis of the differences between day and night work. For the first time, it was possible to describe in detail how 24-hour light profiles change as a result of shift work.
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Ever since the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified long-term shift work associated with circadian disruption as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A), the effects of shift work have been recognized. Shift work has become the focus of research. According to the 2017 microcensus, more than 4.5 million people in Germany work at night, and the trend is still rising.
Examination of employees in shift work
The scientists at the IPA studied female nursing staff working shifts. The collective consisted of women who worked both day and night shifts in the clinic. The comparison group consisted of women who only worked day shifts. The study recorded typical 24-hour light profiles during phases of day work and phases of night work. For this purpose, the participants in the study wore light meters that measured the Exposure to light in various spectral ranges - including blue light, which plays a special role in biological daily rhythms - were recorded every 10 seconds. "This gave us a close-meshed light profile throughout the day and allowed us to investigate specific time periods," explains Dr. Sylvia Rabstein, head of the study.
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