Every living organism on earth follows internal 24-hour cycles known as circadian rhythms. From a flower opening at dawn to a surge of human alertness in the mid-morning, these rhythms are deeply embedded in our biology. They regulate countless processes, from gene expression and metabolism to behaviour and sleep. In mammals, the central pacemaker of this system is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. The SCN synchronises peripheral clocks that ex

In this episode of the Happier with Light podcast, Lard talks with Jan Denneman, Chairman of the Good Light Group. Jan shares why the organisation was founded and how everything it does is based on science. More than thirty scientific advisors and experts in fields such as chronobiology, neurophysiology, sleep, psychiatry and light, support the group in shaping its message and grounding every insight in solid research. Jan reminds us of something that is often overlooked: mos

Light affects how we sleep, feel, and perform – yet public awareness of its impact remains limited. The Light for Public Health  initiative aims to make evidence-based knowledge on light and health both accessible and actionable, thus turning scientific insight into public benefit. “Light isn’t just for vision – it is a key signal for human biology,” says Manuel Spitschan, research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and professor at the Techni

It’s almost the time of the year again, the day in autumn when the clocks turn back to natural time. Every year, millions of people groan, lose sleep, and wonder, why are we still changing our clocks to daylight saving time in the summer? The seasonal clock change is one of those traditions that perhaps made sense once upon a time but no longer serves us. In fact, modern science is increasingly clear: switching the clocks twice a year disrupts our health, our productivity, an

Good light changes lives. A peer-reviewed study “ Biodynamic lighting effects on the sleep pattern of people with dementia ” reports that good light, either daylight or light that compensates for a lack of daylight, has a substantially positive influence on people with dementia. The results are both humane and practical: better sleep at night, greater alertness by day, and less restlessness overall. What the research found Under good light conditions, residents experienced: L