<p>Researchers have found that constant exposure to blue light is as effective as coffee at improving alertness in night drivers, paving way for developing an ‘embedded’ anti-sleepiness device in vehicles.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Researchers from the Universite Bordeaux Segalen, France, and their Swedish colleagues conducted tests in real driving conditions.<br /><br />Blue light is known to increase alertness by stimulating retinal ganglion cells: specialised nerve cells present on the retina, a membrane located at the back of the eye.<br /><br />These cells are connected to the areas of the brain controlling alertness. Stimulating these cells with blue light stops the secretion of melatonin, the hormone that reduces alertness at night.<br /><br />Sleepiness is responsible for one third of fatalities on motorways as it reduces a driver’s alertness, reflexes and visual perception.<br /><br />The researchers’ findings, published in the journal PLoS One and reported on the Medical Express website, used a special LED lamp continuously emitting blue light installed on the dashboard of an experimental vehicle.<br /><br />To study the efficiency of blue light during night driving, researchers asked 48 male volunteers (average age 33.2) to drive 400km on a motorway, the Daily Mail reported.<br />Each driver completed three night drives, spaced out by at least a week, between 1am and 5:15am, with a 15-minute break halfway through the journey.<br /><br />During each of the three nights, the volunteers were either exposed to continuous blue light, or given two cups of coffee (one before departure and one during the break).<br />These either contained 200 mg of caffeine or were decaffeinated, representing a placebo. The researchers found that drivers’ sleep was not affected following the journeys with exposure to blue light.</p>
<p>Researchers have found that constant exposure to blue light is as effective as coffee at improving alertness in night drivers, paving way for developing an ‘embedded’ anti-sleepiness device in vehicles.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Researchers from the Universite Bordeaux Segalen, France, and their Swedish colleagues conducted tests in real driving conditions.<br /><br />Blue light is known to increase alertness by stimulating retinal ganglion cells: specialised nerve cells present on the retina, a membrane located at the back of the eye.<br /><br />These cells are connected to the areas of the brain controlling alertness. Stimulating these cells with blue light stops the secretion of melatonin, the hormone that reduces alertness at night.<br /><br />Sleepiness is responsible for one third of fatalities on motorways as it reduces a driver’s alertness, reflexes and visual perception.<br /><br />The researchers’ findings, published in the journal PLoS One and reported on the Medical Express website, used a special LED lamp continuously emitting blue light installed on the dashboard of an experimental vehicle.<br /><br />To study the efficiency of blue light during night driving, researchers asked 48 male volunteers (average age 33.2) to drive 400km on a motorway, the Daily Mail reported.<br />Each driver completed three night drives, spaced out by at least a week, between 1am and 5:15am, with a 15-minute break halfway through the journey.<br /><br />During each of the three nights, the volunteers were either exposed to continuous blue light, or given two cups of coffee (one before departure and one during the break).<br />These either contained 200 mg of caffeine or were decaffeinated, representing a placebo. The researchers found that drivers’ sleep was not affected following the journeys with exposure to blue light.</p>