Scientists have proved it is possible to pack another hour into the day in a study which could help prepare humans for life on Mars. Using bright, fluorescent lights, researchers artificially lengthened the days for 12 people who agreed to spend 65 days living in individual rooms without windows, clocks or any other clues as to the time in the outside world.
In the study, scientists from the sleep medicine division of Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and Havard Medical School slowly began to change the hours of light and dark.
This helped pinpoint the body clocks, known as the natural circadian rhythm, of the nine men and three women participants aged between 22 and 33.
According to the study published in Monday's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers then began adding an extra hour of light to their volunteeers' waking day.
Exposed to pulses of bright light, 10 times brighter than normal room light, the participants began to stay awake an hour longer, effectively cramming 25 hours into their day.
They then stayed on this 25-hour day for a month, with their bodies adjusting hormone levels and temperature to the new schedule.
The research could prove useful in preparing astronauts for any trip to Mars where one day lasts 24.65 earthly hours.
"The implications of these findings are important, because they could be used to treat circadian misalignment associated with space flight, shift work and circadian rhythm sleep disorders," the researchers wrote.
Researchers have argued that if the body clocks of astronauts are not re-set to Mars time, they could find themselves permanently jet-lagged.
Source: Agence France-Presse
