#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Researchers from Tyumen State Medical University, as part of an international team, have developed innovative technologies to manage individual lighting.
According to the authors, implementing these technologies could help mitigate the negative effects of limited light in winter and excessive light in summer for residents of Arctic and northern regions.
“In winter, daylight lasts only a few hours, while in summer, the sun hardly sets at all. This fluctuation impacts the biological clocks of local residents, affecting not only their sleep and activity patterns but also their metabolism”, said Denis Gubin, head of the chronobiology and chronomedicine laboratory at the Research Institute of Medical Biotechnology and Biomedicine at Tyumen State Medical University (TSMU), as reported by RIA Novosti.
The TSMU researchers, along with their international colleagues, aimed to gather data on how natural lighting influences the circadian rhythms of people living in Arctic latitudes. The project involved volunteers aged 12 to 59 from Salehard, Aksarka, and Urengoy, including members of the indigenous Yamal people – the Nenets. Participants kept sleep diaries and wore sensors similar to fitness trackers that measured their physical activity, skin temperature, light exposure, and sleep patterns. They provided samples for medical, biological, microbiological, and genetic research over the course of a year.
The information collected allowed scientists to develop personalized artificial lighting for Arctic residents that automatically adjusts to the appropriate spectrum throughout the day, aligns with outdoor light conditions, and is expected to have a positive impact on health.
“Addressing the lack of morning light in winter and the excess of evening light in summer through human-centered smart lighting technologies, along with personalized melatonin use in summer, could be key to maintaining a healthy metabolism in high latitudes”, emphasized Gubin.
By the end of 2024, TSMU specialists will move to the final stage of the Arctic Light project – installing biodynamic lighting in the homes and workplaces of residents in Salehard, Aksarka, and other areas of the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district participating in the study. Researchers have already observed beneficial effects from using next-generation wearable devices that monitor changes in the light environment across different spectral ranges.
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Text: Maria Sokolova, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
