EFFECTS OF SPECTRUM COMPOSITION AND SHORT-WAVELENGTH COMPONENTS OF POLYCHROMATIC LIGHT ON NOCTURNAL MELATONIN SUPPRESSION

Abstract

Nocturnal light-induced melatonin suppression (NLMS) is well known, but few studies have investigated NLMS with respect to the energy of red, green, and blue components separately or the ratio of each component’s energy to the total energy of polychromatic light. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationships of NLMS with blue light energy in polychromatic light and with monochromatic blue light energy. A difference in NLMS was found between monochromatic and polychromatic light at the same energy of blue light. This finding implies that NLMS might be affected not only by blue light energy but also by green and/or red light energy in polychromatic light.