Citation

Yuda E, Ogasawara H, Yoshida Y, Hayano J. J. Physiol. Anthropol. 2017; 36(1): e30.

Affiliation

Department of Medical Education, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi Mizuho-cho Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, 467-8601, Aichi, Japan. hayano@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Japan Society of Physiological Anthropology)

DOI

10.1186/s40101-017-0148-4

PMID

28697776

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Exposures to melanopsin-stimulating (melanopic) component-rich blue light enhance arousal level. We examined their effects in office workers. Eight healthy university office workers were exposed to blue and orange lights for 30 min during lunch break on different days. We compared the effects of light color on autonomic arousal level assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) and behavioral alertness by psychomotor vigilance tests (PVT). Heart rate was higher and high-frequency (HF, 0.150.45 Hz) power of HRV was lower during exposure to the blue light than to orange light. No significant difference with light color was observed, however, in any HRV indices during PVT or in PVT performance after light exposure. SHORT CONCLUSION: Exposure to blue light during lunch break, compared with that to orange light, enhances autonomic arousal during exposure, but has no sustained effect on autonomic arousal or behavioral alertness after exposure.

Language: en

Keywords

Alertness; Arousal; Blue light; Heart rate variability; Melanopsin; Non-image forming vision; Orange light; Organic light-emitting diode; Psychomotor vigilance