We just finished reading an interesting article from the New York Times about the use of drugs to help combat jet lag.
What made this article interesting was the discussion of circadian rhythms which affect our sleep patterns - something we don't know very much about.
Light patterns could have more impact on how well we sleep than we previously thought - yet research in this area is always going to be slow due to its limited business potential (it would be tough to patent light).
That's a shame - this is just the kind of thing we'd love to see thoroughly studied. However, until the market can figure out a way of making money from research into circadian rhythms, this promising area of research is going to be largely ignored.
How can we encourage studies that may not be obviously profitable? Perhaps there should be more government funding; after all, a better sleeping society would result in a stronger national economy. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
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Last updated: April 30, 2010
