Daylight Saving Matters

Today begins Daylight Saving Time. The core concept of marking this momentous day is to remind us to use natural light more smartly.

In 1784, Benjamin Franklin, an American polymath, suggested a form to reset the clock twice a year to take advantage of extra daylight in the evening hours. He wrote his proposal for the Journal of Paris. By his calculation, the total savings for the citizens would be equivalent to hundreds of millions of dollars today.

Besides saving energy, and giving us an economic boost, scheduling our activities around natural light can regulate our circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is the human body’s internal clock with a period that is slightly longer than 24 hours, and it rests every day by the natural light-dark pattern in the environment.

Human beings perceive images through visual cues that form on the retina. Those cues are shown by visible light, defined as electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength between 380 and 750 nanometers. The light level must achieve our vertical plane. Our eyes’ vertical plane from 0° to 45° is suitable for viewing biological effects. The vertical plane from -90° to 0° is ideal for visual tasks such as reading letters or examing details.

The vertical illuminance on the eye should be measured to evaluate the impact on circadian rhythm; several light characteristics also impact our circadian rhythms, such as exposure to light or photic history.

Reading all these interesting facts about daylight saving and what influences our biological clock reminded me of a WELL feature:

“Since the circadian response of humans to lights depends on the light entering the eye, factors such as spectral properties of the light, brightness level, duration, and timing of exposure should be all considered.” -WELL L03 Circadian Lighting Design.

On this momentous day, we place this card by the window. May the WELL standard be our go-to guide and keeps us healthy each day.