FI91363B - Equipment for regulating the state of alertness - Google Patents

Description

91363

EQUIPMENT FOR CONTROL OF SUSPENSION

The invention relates to an apparatus, the purpose of which is to influence the position of the human arousal state in relation to the time of day appropriately. The invention can be used as a "natural alarm clock" as well as as a therapeutic device for various circadian rhythm disorders.

Until now, the aids used to awaken a person have been based mainly on a stimulus to the auditory or sensory senses. Examples of these are alarm clocks operating with an audible signal and, for example, wristwatches used by the hearing-impaired, which, after a set time, vibrate with messages to a person because it is time to wake up.

Various time signs such as morning awakening or the difference in light between day and night regulate and synchronize human physiological functions. Various light panels and light masks have been developed to control the so-called "biological clock" of these physiological functions (WPI file 351, U.S. Patent No. 4,858,609).

Alarm clocks based on an audible or tactile signal do not take into account the physiological factors that often cause a person to become tired and sleepy after waking up. Drowsiness results in reduced performance and increased risk of accidents, especially in traffic. Sleep debt also reduces motivation to perform a task sensory, for example (Horne 1988). Shift workers in particular suffer from this. Almost all shift workers have occasional sleep disorders and about a quarter complain of them constantly. 80-90% of shift workers say they are tired during the night shift. About one-fifth have been estimated to be asleep during the night shift because they are unable to resist the onset of sleep (Akerstedt 1988). Another group that suffers from the above disadvantage are the 2 people who suffer from the recurrent depressive-affective disorder (seasonal affective disorder) each year, i.e. winter depressants. They are late in producing melatonin secreted by the pineal gland. By the time in the mornings when healthy people melatonin production is low it is still high-5 Sat in winter depressors. A suitable melatonin level dreams a person.

During evolution, human vital functions have evolved to follow a regular rhythm of just over twenty-four hours. Examples are body temperature and plasma cortisol levels, the rotational rhythm of which is regulated by the supraciasmatic nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus (Stenberg and Porkka-Heiskanen 1990). The perception of the location of the human biological clock has only become established in recent years. The supraciasmatic nucleus is mainly regulated by ambient light.

15 Bright light can effectively time a human circadian rhythm (Czeisler 1989). It has been shown that with properly timed bright (2000 lux) light, the internal clock can be synchronized several hours earlier or later (Eastman 1991). The importance of bright light and its timing for human sleep rhythm is undeniable.

On the basis of these and numerous other studies, various light-powered therapy devices have been developed to regulate the circadian rhythm. However, light therapy 2.5 is given as a separate form of treatment after the actual awakening, which is most often effected by an audible signal.

When a person wakes up on a dark winter morning to the sound of an ordinary alarm clock, the event of waking up is mainly a traumatic 30 experience. Sound stimulation is an effective but unpleasant way to wake up. An ordinary alarm clock also has a slow adjustment of the biological clock and, for example, in cases of winter depression, ineffective if not impossible without a light-therapeutic aid.

3,91363

The device according to the invention provides a decisive improvement in the above-mentioned drawbacks. The invention, i.e. the "natural alarm clock", simulates the rising of the sun. In it, the intensity of light is gradually increased, 5 following the wavelengths of light as necessary for awakening.

In the dark, the sensitivity of the eye increases sharply and at the same time the wavelength at which the sensitivity mechanism of the eye is located shortens. In this case, the eye is very sensitive to wavelengths close to five hundred nanometers (U.Korhonen, S.Vihinen: Theory of Light). Increasing light penetrating through the eyelid sends a stimulus to the hypothalamus, which regulates the circadian rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. This stimulus awakens the sleeper naturally and 15 softly. After waking up, a person can take a dose of phototherapy if needed. To achieve this, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized by what is stated in the claims.

The most important advantage of the invention is that in the device according to the invention the arousal and the light therapy can be combined and achieved with one device. The invention also raises the user's state of alertness and softens the morning wake-up that normally occurs in the dark. The device according to the invention improves work motivation and with it the result, for example in companies where the work is done in shifts.

In the following, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an alarm clock to which a mains or other voltage is connected with a plug 1. The current flows through a conductor 2a to a timer 3 which can be adjusted with the knob 3a to the desired switching-on time. At the set time, the timer 3 switches the current through the conductor 35 2b to the voltage supply device 4, which automatically starts to supply the voltage from zero volts to a maximum of 4 volts. An adjustable voltage, the maximum value of which is adjusted from the potentiometer 4a, and the adjustment time of which is adjusted from the potentiometer 4b, passes along the conductor 2c to the light panel 5 where the increasing voltage begins to increase the intensity of the light 5. As a function of time and thus also of voltage, the voltage can be directed in the light panel to lamps emitting different wavelengths of light, whereby a desired change in the spectrum which is advantageous from the point of view of awakening is achieved. Timers 3 and 4b also have 10 bypass connections that allow the equipment to be used for light therapy.

In particular, it should be noted that the timer 3 and the voltage supply device 4 can be constructed from the electronic components as a whole. If desired, they can also be constructed together with the light panel 5. Reliability can also be maximized with an audible signal. The position, orientation and distance of the light panel from the sleeper can also be arbitrarily searched, depending entirely on how the panel is hung. The light panel can use several lamps emitting different wavelengths of light, or color filter technology can also be used to achieve the desired wavelengths. The timer 3 can also be built in connection with an electronic time display device. It may include several operating levels to distribute the voltage to different locations as needed, also outside the light panel via separate voltage outputs.

The above functions can be automated by various sensor and / or other technical applications.

Claims (7)

An apparatus for timing a human alert state appropriately for the time of day and for providing a softer and more natural awakening, the apparatus comprising a timer (3), a voltage regulator (4) and a light panel (5) with the necessary intermediate and connecting wires and suspension devices, and wherein the moment of switching on the voltage is controlled by a timer (3), characterized in that the light intensity is gradually increased 10 by the control of the voltage supply device (4), whereby the light panel (5) emits light of varying intensity and wavelength. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the voltage supply device (4) operates independently after receiving the voltage from the timer (3), and in which the voltage adjustment time and maximum voltage can be adjusted, for example by potentiometers, and the voltage can be controlled by a known technical application. 20 sa (5). Apparatus according to Claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the voltage supply device (4) controls the voltage as a function of time for lamps emitting different wavelengths. Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the distance and orientation of the light panel (5) relative to the sleeper are adjustable. Apparatus according to Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the apparatus is suitable as a phototherapeutic treatment device by bypassing the timer connections. 6 5,91363 Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the timer (3) is multi-level, so that one level operates on a sensor measuring the intensity of light. Apparatus according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the timer (3) is multi-level, so that one level is controlled by a sensor which detects the movement of the sleeper. 91363