Yesterday was the Winter Solstice. For most of us, that meant it was the shortest day of the year as far as sunlight.
But for some parts of the world, sunlight is completely absent for multiple months of the year. Can you imagine?
The town of Longyearbyen, Svalbard in Norway is one of those places. For four months of the year, Longyearbyen is in total darkness. It’s actually the northernmost town on the planet.
Philips is conducting an experiment this year in Longyearbyen called “Wake up the town.” They’re distributing their Wake Up Lights among the residents and following up throughout the winter to find out if Longyearbyen residents think the Wake Up Light claim of “waking you up feeling refreshed” rings true in the arctic winter.
The Wake Up Light is essentially an alarm clock with a light incorporated that begins gradually brightening 30 minutes before the alarm goes off. Light therapy experts at Philips say the light helps simulate the sunrise for the body’s internal clock. Find out more about the “Wake up the town project” on the Philips website.