How does the sun affect my body and mind?
CrowdScience
BBC
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 10 January 2020
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Two years ago reporter Anand Jagatia travelled up beyond the Arctic Circle to meet Norwegian researchers in order to answer a question from US listener Kira on why some people function best in the mornings whilst others only come alive at night. In this episode we revisit the topic with the help of science writer and Parentland podcast presenter Linda Geddes, author of Chasing the Sun, a book which explores the science behind the sun’s effects on our bodies and our minds.
The morning sun helps to kick-start our day and our body’s biological cycle – so what happens when it barely rises above the horizon or we live for prolonged periods in artificial environments where the sun never shines? Research has suggested that some communities in northern latitudes are better protected against the mental and physical effects of reduced exposure to sunlight in the winter which might have implications for those suffering the winter blues.
Presenter Anand Jagatia, Producer: Rami Tzabar
(Photo: Woman basking in the sun. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're about to listen to a BBC podcast and maybe it's when I had a hand in. |
| 0:04.0 | I'm Tammy Walker and I produce podcasts for the BBC. |
| 0:08.0 | My role is to give new and diverse creators a voice with the opportunity to build a career. |
| 0:12.0 | That's the thing I love about podcasts. |
| 0:14.4 | You start with just a good idea, but then you have the space to see where it goes. |
| 0:18.4 | And doing that at the BBC means we can really run with the best stories |
| 0:21.9 | while developing the most unique audio talent. |
| 0:24.3 | So if you like what you hear, why not check out the huge range of podcast we've got on BBC |
| 0:29.1 | Sounds? |
| 0:30.1 | Okay I got one. It goes like this. |
| 0:34.0 | He goes like this. |
| 0:35.0 | He oh, I |
| 0:37.0 | A A Lai |
| 0:41.0 | A Lai |
| 0:42.0 | A Lai This is crowd science from the BBC World Service. I'm Anan Jagatier and that song is just one of the many ways that the Sami people of Northern Norway keep themselves entertained in the middle of a cold dark Arctic winter |
| 1:04.7 | with only reindeer for company. We'll be hearing more about the Sammy and the dark time |
| 1:09.7 | as Norwegians call it later in the show because today's episode is all about the power of the sun to affect our health and our behavior. We're revisiting a question we got sent in 2016 from listener Kira in Philadelphia. |
| 1:30.1 | She wanted to know why there are morning people and night people. |
| 1:34.0 | Now having a preference for being up early with the larks or staying up late like a night owl |
| 1:38.8 | is something that scientists call your chronotype. |
| 1:41.6 | And whether you have more of a morning or an evening |
| 1:44.1 | chronotype is down to the ticking of your internal biological clock or your |
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