Turn Off That Light!
"Light is a drug," says Russel J. Reiter, a neuroendocrinologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center who has researched the disease-preventing properties of melatonin. "By abusing it, we compromise our health." (article)
Not being able to see the stars is just one of the reasons I don't like city lights and urban sprawl. I've also worried about the physiological and psychological effects of coming home in the evening to a brightly-lit house. Melatonin imbalances have been treated by exposing the patient to a large array of artificial lights at a particular hour of the morning, simulating watching a sunrise. It should be no surprise that the sun regulates our circadian rhythms, and that artificial light can disrupt them. This was exactly the motive behind my drift clock idea. I attach religious significance to this. Long before stretching our days to unnatural lengths begins to kill our bodies, it kills our souls.
(Edit, 4:43 AM) See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. I woke up at 1:30 and I can't go back to sleep. The gym opens in two hours; I think I'll go work out and then sit in the sun for a while.
Not being able to see the stars is just one of the reasons I don't like city lights and urban sprawl. I've also worried about the physiological and psychological effects of coming home in the evening to a brightly-lit house. Melatonin imbalances have been treated by exposing the patient to a large array of artificial lights at a particular hour of the morning, simulating watching a sunrise. It should be no surprise that the sun regulates our circadian rhythms, and that artificial light can disrupt them. This was exactly the motive behind my drift clock idea. I attach religious significance to this. Long before stretching our days to unnatural lengths begins to kill our bodies, it kills our souls.
(Edit, 4:43 AM) See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. I woke up at 1:30 and I can't go back to sleep. The gym opens in two hours; I think I'll go work out and then sit in the sun for a while.