Effect of light at night on melatonin suppression and circadian phase in humans
Summary
Demonstrated dose‑ and spectrum‑dependent melatonin suppression by nighttime light, foundational to blue‑light mitigation strategies.
Why It Matters For Night Shift Workers and Night Owls
Evidence here whether melatonin timed before daytime sleep shows sleep, alertness, recovery, and metabolic markers for night‑shift workers and night owls. Results help move melatonin from vague sedative to a time‑sensitive tool studied in the context of night schedules. For people who work nights, that frames an everyday choice (when you eat, how you light the end of a shift, how rest is split) as part of the mechanism, not just routine.
Notes
Classic light‑melatonin physiology study.