Workdays that start at 9 am would be tantamount to “torture” for employees, according to sleep expert Dr. Paul Kelley. Her research suggests that an adult’s circadian rhythm (which regulates the alternation between wakefulness and sleep) is not in harmony with conventional workday schedules (9 am-5pm). They would only be suitable after the age of 55, when people need less sleep.
The circadian rhythm lasts 24 hours and regulates sleep rhythms. It is determined by exposure to light of the body via the eyes. Dr. Paul Kelley notes that the body cannot “learn” to wake up at a particular time because its body clock is tuned to sunlight. One is not aware of this sensitivity to the sun because light is detected by the hypothalamus and not by sight.
According to Dr Paul Kelley, a professor in the Department of Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience at the University of Oxford (UK) said in his report that workdays and school days should start later to be in harmony with our biological clock. Companies that impose too early a day may make their employees less efficient and more exposed to health problems, such as anxiety, weight gain, high blood pressure and mental health problems. So many disorders already linked to lack of sleep that the researcher underlines in his study. It also recalls the recent American study on children which has shown the detrimental impact on adolescent health from starting school too early in the morning.
“It’s a big societal problem … employees are often sleep deprived. Our society is sleep deprived. It is harmful for our body system because it has an impact on our physical and emotional systems, and on our performance ”, explained Dr Paul Kelley in a scientific conference in Bradford (United Kingdom).
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