Insomnia and sluggishness from shift work could be a thing of the past
22 May 2021 • 10:00am
Business travellers may one day be able to eliminate jet lag by simply tapping on a smartphone app which is connected to an under-skin implant that can manipulate their sleep pattern.
Researchers at Northwestern University, Illinois have been handed $33m (£23.2m) from the US Defence Department s Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) to make the technology a reality.
The researchers plan to build a bio-electronic device the size of a pinky finger that can alter the wearer s circadian rhythm.
Using an app, wearers can adjust the system so it can recalibrate their circadian rhythm accordingly. This could mean adjustments if they are travelling to a different time zone, or if there is an eight hour shift in their working hours.
Natural light is crucial for setting your body’s internal clock
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The world isn’t made for night owls like me. Or at least my world – which involves a nine-to-five job, young children and, in under a fortnight’s time, an 8am school run – isn’t.
I’ve always loathed waking early and loved staying up late. But now I’m homeschooling two children, whose bedtime is getting increasingly later, I’m trading even more hours of much needed sleep for a bit more Netflix, or a few extra pages of my book, before crawling into bed at 1am most nights.
Do you struggle to nod off because you re warm?
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So the Beast from the East is sharpening its claws: experts predict a plunge into Arctic weather soon with “significant” snow and temperatures struggling to climb above freezing. This will mean cranked-up thermostats, roaring fires and chunky jumpers, but what happens when we crawl under the duvet at night?
Dr Sophie Bostock is a behavioural psychologist and sleep expert. “There tends to be more information on summer sleeping, because of the assumption it’s easier to fall and stay asleep in a heated house in cold weather,” she says. “But this isn’t necessarily true.”