Sleep Health: Circadian Alignment, Daylight, Light-at-Night (LAN), and Public Health

Dear Colleagues,

A misalignment between our body's circadian clock and local solar cycle, as might occur due to specific sleep or work schedules (e.g., shift workers or frequent travelers), can lead to social, behavioral, and metabolic health problems. Daily robust patterns of light and dark serve as the primary environmental cue for the sleep-regulating master biological clock. However, the true potential of light as a non-pharmacological tool to promote circadian alignment remains uncertain due to three major shortcomings in the literature: (1) a lack of accurate and complete characterization of photic stimulus as perceived by the human circadian system; (2) a lack of use of personalized calibrated light-measurement devices in light and health field studies; (3) the implementation and testing of photic interventions at group level without characterizing high differential sensitivities across individuals. Papers addressing these shortcomings in pursuit of sleep-promoting circadian lighting solutions are invited to submit their manuscripts to this Special Issue. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced people across the world to spend a lot of the daytime within their homes, leading to a substantial increase in the use of self-luminous devices. Lighting for most indoor spaces has been manufactured, designed, and specified to meet visual requirements and to address energy concerns. We would also like to invite manuscripts that can shed light on how altered modern-day light exposures can affect sleep and well-being, especially among vulnerable populations such as adolescents and young adults.

Dr. Rohan Nagare
Guest Editor

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