Sparckel in the media: daylight and coffee belong together in your morning ritual
Happier after four hours of light from a lamp: 'Daylight desperately needed for our biological clock'
Does a daylight lamp help with poor sleep and gloomy thoughts? Light specialist Jan Denneman and chronobiologist Marijke Gordijn hope to answer that question with the '30-day good light experience'. Journalist Jeroen Kreule is one of the participants.
Jeroen Kreule:
I am not a very good sleeper. I get into bed just a little too late, at least twice a week I wake up around four in the morning and start grinding. Hassles in love, deadline stress, worrying about a child... I lie awake for an hour and a half. The next day, my concentration sometimes drops, or I even doze off behind the laptop.
Since late January, there has been a lamp on my dining table cum desk. It is the Jolly James, from the Sparckel brand. Not a cheap little thing: it costs around 1,800 euros. The lamp mimics daylight, explains Jan Denneman (66), founder of the Good Light Group, a foundation with the mission to raise awareness of positive effects of good light on body and mind.
Questionnaire
He wants to know if the lamp helps people go through life a little happier. Do you sleep better? What does it do to your vitality and mood? Before and after, an extensive questionnaire has to be completed. Denneman: ,,We want to map the personal experiences of the participants.'' Dozens of people are taking part in the study. I am one of them.
We desperately need daylight to synchronise our biological clock
The lamp is exactly half a metre from my laptop, so there is enough light in the eye while I am working. The light is bright, but gets used to it quickly. Following Denneman's instructions, I let the lamp shine at maximum for at least four hours a day; at the end of the working day, the lamp automatically switches to evening light mode.
Jetlag
The effect? The times I woke up in the middle of the night in the past four weeks can be counted on one hand. When it did happen, I would turn over and fall asleep again almost immediately. ''We desperately need daylight to synchronise our biological clock,'' says Denneman.
Numerous studies show: good light is just as important as healthy food and air. You sleep better, you work more concentrated, it makes you more energetic, happier and healthier. I experienced it all, last four weeks. No more in-between naps behind the laptop, happier, less stimulated. The lamp has an addictive effect and became part of the morning ritual: coffee, switch on lamp, shower.
Put your desk and sofa by the window so you can look outside, or purchase good lighting
If you get no daylight for a day, your biological clock lags behind by an average of 10 to 15 minutes. Those who stay indoors for a week lag an hour and a half behind, similar to jet lag. Denneman: ,,Since the industrial revolution, we have become much more indoors, so our biorhythms are easily out of sync.''
Try to catch as much pure daylight as possible, is his advice. Preferably in the morning, around 9.30am. Every half-hour is a bonus. If that doesn't work, stand as close to the window as possible if you need to make a phone call. Put your desk and couch by the window so you can look outside, or buy good lighting.
Dementia
Maarten Voorhuis (45) designed the Sparckel out of both frustration and amazement. ,,My grandfather suffered from dementia and as a child I noticed that - like fellow sufferers - he hardly ever went outside. Later, I read that there is strong scientific evidence that sufficient daylight can help with functional limitations of dementia. Since then, I have been captivated by the effect of healthy light. I developed a lamp that emulates the power of natural daylight.''
The lamp contains six LED groups with 196 LEDs. A pre-programmed clock controls when the LEDs should emit what light: white light at the beginning of a working day, activating cold white light during the day and warm dimmed light at the end of the working day.
A good night's sleep makes you fitter during the day, improves your mood and helps you avoid slumps
The lamp, in collaboration with Tilburg University and GGZ Eindhoven, was tested in a nursing home with people with dementia. The result: the average number of hazy sleeps during the day was more than halved, as was nighttime wandering. And those who had spent a few hours under a Sparckel during the day slept 87 minutes longer that night.
Night's rest
So the fact that I also sleep better is no surprise to Voorhuis. Still, he wants to stress that it does not have to be because of the lamp alone, because sleep problems are complex. ''But the lamp can have an influence.''
Denneman is pleased with my results. ''A good night's sleep ensures that you are fitter during the day, your mood is better and you can use it to prevent slumps. And for that you need: healthy air, healthy food, and light!''
