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Individual differences in light sensitivity affect sleep and circadian rhythms
Open accessAbstract
Artificial lighting is omnipresent in contemporary society with disruptive consequences for human sleep and circadian rhythms because of overexposure to light, particularly in the evening/night hours. Recent evidence shows large individual variations in circadian photosensitivity, such as melatonin suppression, due to artificial light exposure. Despite the emerging body of research indicating that the effects of light on sleep and circadian rhythms vary dramatically across individuals, recommendations for appropriate light exposure in real-life settings rarely consider such individual effects. This review addresses recently identified links among individual traits, for example, age, sex, chronotype, genetic haplotypes, and the effects of evening/night light on sleep and circadian hallmarks, based on human laboratory and field studies. Target biological mechanisms for individual differences in light sensitivity include differences occurring within the retina and downstream, such as the central circadian clock. This review also highlights that there are wide gaps of uncertainty, despite the growing awareness that individual differences shape the effects of evening/night light on sleep and circadian physiology. These include (1) why do certain individual traits differentially affect the influence of light on sleep and circadian rhythms; (2) what is the translational value of individual differences in light sensitivity in populations typically exposed to light at night, such as night shift workers; and (3) what is the magnitude of individual differences in light sensitivity in population-based studies? Collectively, the current findings provide strong support for considering individual differences when defining optimal lighting specifications, thus allowing for personalized lighting solutions that promote quality of life and health.
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“Another issue, which is getting increasingly more attention, is that there are large interindividual differences in terms of susceptibility to evening light exposure [67], with some subjects already responding to minimal doses of short-wavelength light and others being almost “immune” to evening light exposure.”
From Preliminary Results: The Impact of Smartphone Use and Short-Wavelength Light during the Evening on Circadian Rhythm, Sleep and Alertness (2021) · cites this paper as [67]
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“These differences in light susceptibility arise from a variety of individual differences (e.g., sex, age, chronotype or genetics)”
From Preliminary Results: The Impact of Smartphone Use and Short-Wavelength Light during the Evening on Circadian Rhythm, Sleep and Alertness (2021) · cites this paper as [67]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Chellappa, S. L.
- Affiliations
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- Chellappa, Sarah L
- ORCID
- Chellappa, Sarah L
- Venue
- Sleep
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2020-10-13
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 2
- ISSN
- 0161-8105 (ISSN-L)
- 1550-9109
- PMC
- PMC7879412
- OpenAlex
- W3091969560
- Cited by
- 163
- References
- 130
- Citations by year
- 2026: 27 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 16
- FWCI
- 2.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model (vor)
- Locations
- SLEEP (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (STaR/0015/2013)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Impact of Light on Environment and Health
- Keywords
- individual differences, photosensitivity, circadian rhythm, melatonin suppression, artificial light at night, evening light exposure, chronotype, haplotypes, age and sex differences, night shift workers, personalized lighting, retina
- MeSH terms
- Circadian Rhythm, Humans, Individuality, Melatonin, Quality of Life, Sleep, Photophobia
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