Longer and later sleep due to lock down

On January 8th, Marijke Gordijn from Chrono@Work and Roelof Hut from the University of Groningen were interviewed by EditieNL about the effects of the COVID-19 related restrictions on sleep. Colleagues recently published that on average people sleep longer and later during the lockdown. However, shortage of sleep and sleeping problems have serious health effects. EditieNL…

Interview NPO Radio 1 on December 26th

In the early morning of December 26th, Marijke Gordijn from Chrono@Work gave an interview on NPO Radio 1 about the role of light for well being and health. This item is especially interesting in the dark winter days around Christmas in our region. The focus of the interview was on the new study we do…

Working from home? Take care you see enough daylight!

The policies to limit spreading of COVID-19 is ‘stay home’ and ‘work from home’. The consequence is that most people see very little daylight. While it is very important to stay home as much as possible and keep ‘social distance’ all the time, in the Netherlands it is not forbidden to go outside. The Dutch…

Campaign against Drowsy Driving

On 3 February 2020, the Flemish Traffic Sciences Foundation in Belgium (Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde or VSV) is launching a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of ‘drowsy driving’. Sleepiness is one of the main causes of fatal traffic accidents. During the campaign, which runs until March 1, 2020, road users can do an online…

Plea for Central European Time in the Netherlands

Last weekend Daylight saving time 2018 ended and Europe went back to Central European Time. In a short movie commissioned by the University of Groningen, Marijke Gordijn explained once more why for us, in the Netherlands, the current time we have in winter is the most optimal choice. In fact, The Netherlands should even be…

16 tips to wake up easier in The Guardian

Linda Geddes, journalist in the UK, published an article in the Guardian titled “No more snooze button: a complete guide to waking up feeling fantastic“. “Now the clocks have gone back and the days are getting shorter, it can be hard to get out of bed. But, from dawn simulators to a regular wakeup time,…

Human solutions for control rooms in Muscat

Invited by Honeywell and Medilux, Chrono@Work gave a lecture in Muscat (Oman) on ‘human solutions for control rooms’. In between very technical lectures and for a very special, interested audience, we talked about putting the human in the center of attention. What can we do to optimize the 24h environment for people working 24/7 in…

Short-wavelength attenuated polychromatic white light during work at night: limited melatonin suppression without substantial decline of alertness

Van de Werken, M., Giménez, M. C., de Vries, B., Beersma, D. G. M., & Gordijn, M. C. M. Short-wavelength attenuated polychromatic white light during work at night: limited melatonin suppression without substantial decline of alertness. Chronobiology International, 30(7), 843–854. (2013).