Light O'Clock

Is there a best time for a vaccine? In this episode of Light O'Clock, we speak with Dr Cathy A. Wyse about whether the time of day when we receive a vaccine can influence how we respond to it.

We first discuss how circadian rhythms shape the immune system, how vaccines work, and the difference between vaccine response (e.g., antibody levels) and vaccine effectiveness (i.e., protection against infection or disease). We then discuss why the current evidence remains mixed and how factors such as chronotype, sleep, age, sex, prior immunity, and vaccine type may influence results.

Paper reference: https://doi.org/10.1177/07487304241232447

The key message: the immune system is rhythmic, so timing could matter -- but the evidence is not yet strong enough to recommend one specific time of day for vaccination. For now, the most important advice remains: get vaccinated when you can.

In the first episode of Season 4, we start with the foundations of circadian medicine.

Together with our guest Henrik Oster, we take a tour through the circadian system and ask what biological timing has to do with health and disease. We discuss how the body coordinates different physiological and behavioural functions across the 24-hour day, what can happen when internal rhythms become disrupted, and why timing may matter in medicine.

We then introduce three key ideas in circadian medicine: exploiting the clock to optimise the timing of treatments, targeting the clock as part of therapy, and detecting the clock to better personalise healthcare. Finally, we examine the current state of the field, the challenges of integrating circadian principles into clinical practice, and the future of circadian medicine.

This episode sets the stage for the rest of the season, where we will explore specific areas of circadian medicine in more detail – from vaccines and cancer care to neonatal health, metabolism, exercise, and shift work. Stay tuned!

Light O'Clock is back with Season 4! In this new season, we explore how biological timing shapes health and disease, and how accounting for circadian rhythms may help improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. We will discuss topics such as immunity and vaccination, cancer care, neonatal health, metabolism, exercise, and shift work.

Join us as we take a tour through the emerging field of circadian medicine, and ask what it could mean for the future of healthcare.

In the final episode of this mini-series, Caro, Anna, and Priji explore how the built environment shapes our interactions with daylight. From balconies and windows to schools, workplaces, and public spaces, the places we move through every day influence how much natural light we receive and how we experience it.

These spaces are more than design choices. They are shaped by culture, climate, geography, and daily routines. Together with our interviewees, we discuss how architecture can either support or limit our relationship with daylight, and why paying attention to light in our environments matters for well-being, mood, and everyday life.

Key highlights from this episode:

How homes, workplaces, and schools affect daylight exposure

Why balconies and "transitional spaces" can feel so meaningful

The role of window design and orientation (we even get poetic about windows!)

How thoughtful design can help us build a healthier relationship with daylight

Links and resources:

Anna and Priji’s publication describing their framework: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-024-00159-5

Visualisation of the framework’s “bubbles”: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-024-00159-5/figures/3

More about the Daylight Academy (DLA) Project: https://daylight.academy/projects/daylight-interactions/

In the second episode of our Interacting with Daylight mini-series, Caro is joined by Anna and Priji again to explore how cultural traditions and individual behaviours shape our interactions with daylight.

Building on the previous discussion of location, this episode shifts the focus to how social norms, gender roles, and cultural traditions shape people’s experiences and interactions with daylight.

Links and resources:

Anna and Priji’s publication describing their framework: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-024-00159-5

Visualisation of the framework’s “bubbles”: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-024-00159-5/figures/3

More about the Daylight Academy (DLA) Project: https://daylight.academy/projects/daylight-interactions/

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:23) What do we mean by culture and behaviours

(03:53) Snippets: solar eclipse and Norwegian winter

(08:40) Yellow dishes & the sun

(12:10) Snippets: Daylight in Spain vs Norway

(19:30) Snippets: Sun exposure, skin care, and lunch habits in Rochester

(20:20) Snippets: Clothing & sun umbrellas

(25:00) Gender roles and exposure to daylight

(32:57) Focus group snippets: Cultural differences around daylight

(43:57) Snippets: Playing as kids — outdoor and indoor behaviours

(47:50) Snippets: Schools and daylight habits in schools in different countries

(51:54) Reflections on outdoor/indoor habits in schools

(55:40) Outro: how different languages refer to (day)light