21:41 » cool down

The introduction of street lighting in the city during the 19th century revolutionized urban lifestyles. The idea was to create day during night. The street lighting caused new urban structures and behaviours like the boulevard or going out to bars. The artificial light also changed our working habits which does not only have positive effects on our sleeping habits.

According to chronobiologists*, personal performance and concentration are low in the evening hours. Interestingly, the internal clock of the body is connected to the sunlight. When it gets dark outside the body releases melatonin, which is responsible for falling asleep.

Further, Albert Rothenberg of Harvard University has found out that creativity is not about spontaneous inspiration but the result of continuous effort, motivation and endurance. Those characteristics decrease if we suffer from sleep deprivation.

* Science of the intrinsic rhythm of living beings.