DRIVERS could take 30-minute 鈥渂aths鈥� in blue light at truck stops and gas stations to prevent them falling asleep at the wheel.
That鈥檚 one suggestion from Mariana Figueiro and colleagues at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, who have put together a to investigate using light to reset drivers鈥� body clocks.
Light is known to affect our body鈥檚 internal clock, and short wavelengths have the strongest effect. So Figueiro鈥檚 team wants to investigate how blue LED light affects daytime alertness in sleep-deprived people.
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Another idea is that cars and truck cabs could be fitted with blue LEDs, so Figueiro plans to use a driving simulator to see which combination of light frequencies and intensities work best, while not obscuring the view of the road.
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