Sleep Timing in Late Autumn and Late Spring Associates With Light Exposure Rather Than Sun Time in College Students.

ABSTRACT: Timing of the human sleep-wake cycle is determined by social constraints, biological processes (sleep homeostasis and circadian rhythmicity) and environmental factors, particularly natural and electrical light exposure. To what extent seasonal changes in the light-dark cycle affect sleep timing and how this varies between weekdays and weekends has not been firmly established. We examined sleep and activity patterns during weekdays and weekends in late autumn (standard time, ST) and late spring (daylight saving time, DST), and expressed their timing in relation to three environmental reference points: clock-time, solar noon (SN) which occurs one clock hour later during DST than ST, and the midpoint of accumulated light exposure (50% LE). Observed sleep timing data were compared to simulated

SUBMITTER: Shochat T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6724614 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature