BENEFITS OF PER 3TM

Why is this important?

Research published in Arches of General Psychiatry in 2004 has proven, that 30 minutes of exposure to bright light wakes us up and helps  to reset internal biological clock. Daily use of the bright light lamp for waking up helps biochemical and hormonal processes and helps to start our day in a more pleasant and better way.

 


PER 3TM as Bright Light Therapy

Light Therapy uses natural or artificial light to help treat various ailments, primarily depression and sleep disorders. Most often, »bright light therapy« is used. Research has shown that exposure to bright light improves the alertness and productivity of people who feel drowsy during the day. Studies show that the eye turns light into electrical impulses, which travel along the optical nerve to the brain, triggering the release of the mood-altering chemical, serotonin, and other chemical messengers.
Healthy levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters are central factors for our emotional well-being. Health problems can develop when the circadian rhythms (biological clock) are thrown off by spending too much time indoors, working odd shifts, flying across time zones, or being exposed to less daylight in the fall and winter. Bright light therapy helps the body restore its natural circadian rhythms. 



How Can the PER 3TM Help You Set Your Natural Body Rhythms?

PER 3TM Light Therapy lamp provides one of the most natural and stress-free ways of awakening. The sunshine-strength light brightness the room naturally, waking the sleeper so gently that even drams are not disturbed. The PER 3TM is conveniently designed for frequent travelers who must maintain tight schedules. In addition, PER 3TM can also help many circadian rhythm disorders, such as those listed below:

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

Many of us experience some degree of the »winter blues« due to our reduced consumption of light. Bright light therapy has proved to be particularly useful in treating the »winter blues«, also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is form of depression that occurs as the amount of daylight wanes with the change of seasons.

Research indicated that decreased daily exposure to sunlight changes brain chemistry balance so that we can experience lethargy, fatigue, sadness, and even depression. Sitting in front of a light box with 10 000 lux capacity (a lux is the international unit of illumination, one lumen per square meter) for 15 to 20 minutes a day can help alleviate symptoms of SAD.

 

 

Sleep problems


Some people have difficulty falling asleep before the early morning hours, and, not surprisingly, end up having trouble waking when they need to start their day. This problem, known as »delayed sleep phase syndrome«, or DSPS, has been remedied in many cases with help of bright light therapy. By using a bright light at the end of your night, whenever that might be given your schedule, your sleep phase can be gradually shifted. The light therapy acts on the internal biological clock, bringing the clock into sync with local time.

Other people fall asleep far too early and wake well before sunrise. Light therapy at the start of their subjective night, in the evening, can »reset« the biological clock, normalizing or at least improving the sleep pattern. This technique may be especially valuable for elder people, who are prone to advanced sleep phase syndrome or ASPS. It has been suggested that sitting all evening in dimly illuminated living room predisposes people to ASPS.

DSPS and ASPS are extremes of insomnia. Many people experience these conditions with less intensity, for example, going to bed at 23.00 but finding themselves unable to fall asleep before 1.00. When this occurs, they find it difficult to be alert during their normal work days. In just a day or two, bright light therapy in bedroom can remedy the situation.  



Problems derived from ineffectiveness and reduced productivity

Many working people experience chronic ineffectiveness as a consequence of disturbances of their circadian rhythm. Productivity does not improve according to person’s expectations which is accompanied with lack of energy and working spirit. Clinical studies have proven, that usage of the bright light therapy significantly alleviates these symptoms or even cures them. The use of bright light therapy is especially recommended for shift workers.

Evening or night shifts can require a delay in our sleeping time of as much as 3 to 12 hours. When the sleep/wake and body temperature cycles are no longer in phase or »in sync« with each other, workers experience a condition known as internal de-synchronization. An employee placed on the night shift must ignore the light-dark patterns in the external environment and try to sleep at a time when the body clock is telling him or her to be most alert and active. While some employees are greatly disturbed by these internal disruptions, others experience only mild symptoms. Yet, like a machine which eventually breaks down when operating specifications are continually ignored, the human body will also eventually be impaired by unnatural conditions. If employees' internal clocks are repeatedly desynchronized, some negative effects on health, safety and/or performance generally can occur. Shift workers might get light therapy in the workplace, receiving exposure early in the night shift. Or, workers might use light therapy at home in advance to prepare for a schedule change.



Frequent traveling in different time-zones Jet lag)

Rapidly traveling across several time zones creates disharmony between one's internal body clock. Unfortunately, this not only causes problems with sleep/wake cycles but influences mood and energy as well. The body clock is designed for a regular rhythm of daylight and darkness. It is thrown out of »sync« when daylight and darkness occur at the »wrong« times in a new time zone. Clinical research conducted at NASA demonstrates that the body clock can be reset to new time zone in only 2 days with properly time exposure to sufficiently bright light in specific wavelengths.