Sex differences in light sensitivity impact on brightness perception, vigilant attention and sleep in humans.
Sex differences in light sensitivity impact on brightness perception, vigilant attention and sleep in humans.
Artificial light endows a “round-the-clock”, 24-h/7-d society. Chronic exposure to light at night contributes to health hazards for humans, including disorders of sleep. Yet the influence of inter-individual traits, such as sex-differences, on light sensitivity remains to be established. Here we investigated potential sex-differences to evening light exposure of 40 lx at 6500 K (blue-enriched) or at 2500 K (non-blue-enriched), and their impact on brightness perception, vigilant attention and sleep physiology. In contrast to women, men had higher brightness perception and faster reaction times in a sustained attention task during blue-enriched light than non-blue-enriched. After blue-enriched light exposure, men had significantly higher all-night frontal NREM sleep slow-wave activity (SWA: 2–4 Hz), than women, particularly during the beginning of the sleep episode. Furthermore, brightness perception during blue-enriched light significantly predicted men’s improved sustained attention performance and increased frontal NREM SWA. Our data indicate that, in contrast to women, men show a stronger response to blue-enriched light in the late evening even at very low light levels (40lux), as indexed by increased vigilant attention and sleep EEG hallmarks. Collectively, the data indicate that sex differences in light sensitivity might play a key role for ensuring the success of individually-targeted light interventions.
Chellappa, Sarah L.
516582b5-3cba-4644-86c9-14c91a4510f2
Steiner, Roland
c2a5c81a-7490-4326-b1e0-040f65925bf5
Oelhafen, Peter
e9c28423-b9b2-4ae1-9d4d-288076fc4218
Cajochen, Christian
f605e720-e417-45dc-9b5c-244b1a1d6265
27 October 2017
Chellappa, Sarah L.
516582b5-3cba-4644-86c9-14c91a4510f2
Steiner, Roland
c2a5c81a-7490-4326-b1e0-040f65925bf5
Oelhafen, Peter
e9c28423-b9b2-4ae1-9d4d-288076fc4218
Cajochen, Christian
f605e720-e417-45dc-9b5c-244b1a1d6265
Chellappa, Sarah L., Steiner, Roland, Oelhafen, Peter and Cajochen, Christian
(2017)
Sex differences in light sensitivity impact on brightness perception, vigilant attention and sleep in humans.
Scientific Reports, 7, [14215].
(doi:10.1038/s41598-017-13973-1).
Abstract
Artificial light endows a “round-the-clock”, 24-h/7-d society. Chronic exposure to light at night contributes to health hazards for humans, including disorders of sleep. Yet the influence of inter-individual traits, such as sex-differences, on light sensitivity remains to be established. Here we investigated potential sex-differences to evening light exposure of 40 lx at 6500 K (blue-enriched) or at 2500 K (non-blue-enriched), and their impact on brightness perception, vigilant attention and sleep physiology. In contrast to women, men had higher brightness perception and faster reaction times in a sustained attention task during blue-enriched light than non-blue-enriched. After blue-enriched light exposure, men had significantly higher all-night frontal NREM sleep slow-wave activity (SWA: 2–4 Hz), than women, particularly during the beginning of the sleep episode. Furthermore, brightness perception during blue-enriched light significantly predicted men’s improved sustained attention performance and increased frontal NREM SWA. Our data indicate that, in contrast to women, men show a stronger response to blue-enriched light in the late evening even at very low light levels (40lux), as indexed by increased vigilant attention and sleep EEG hallmarks. Collectively, the data indicate that sex differences in light sensitivity might play a key role for ensuring the success of individually-targeted light interventions.
Text
s41598-017-13973-1
- Version of Record
More information
Published date: 27 October 2017
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 479577
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/479577
ISSN: 2045-2322
PURE UUID: ba4ca7bc-6c23-4145-af2c-3e8ec01c8d5f
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 26 Jul 2023 16:38
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:20
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Sarah L. Chellappa
Author:
Roland Steiner
Author:
Peter Oelhafen
Author:
Christian Cajochen
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics