The Power of Sleep
Backed by Science

Optimize your body for success with sleep science insights

A Good Night’s Sleep Starts With A Healthy Circadian Rhythm

The scientific formula for a good night’s sleep is deeply embedded in your circadian rhythm. Think of it as your body’s 24-hour clock that ebbs and flows throughout the day to decide when you feel sleepy and awake. Poor sleep happens when there is a misalignment of your circadian rhythm and your sleep schedule, causing difficulties falling asleep and waking up. Therefore, a crucial ingredient for a good night’s sleep is to keep a healthy circadian rhythm that aligns with your sleep and wake schedules.

Circadian Rhythm

Circadian rhythms are natural physical, mental, and behavioral oscillations that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes exist in most living organisms and respond primarily to light and darkness.

How circadian rhythm regulates sleep

Using the scientific model to understand the two main factors regulating your sleep
The scientists believe that your sleep is mostly regulated by two things:

Your circadian rhythm

Your body’s internal circadian rhythm, a clock inside your body that tells you when you should be sleeping and when you should be awake.

Your hunger for sleep

Scientifically referred to as the homeostatic sleep drive, your hunger for sleep that builds up while you are awake determines how sleepy you are.
The two factors work together to ensure we have a restful sleep. They are like the two legs of a human; if either one of them is out of order, we suffer from poor sleep, such as difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently in the middle of sleep, waking up earlier than we want, or waking up feeling groggy.

Optimizing Circadian Rhythm for Better Sleep

Learn more about why circadian rhythm is important for your sleep and well-being

Science behind our Technology

  • Based on decades of research from Stanford University
  • Product development supported by NASA, DoD, and NSF
  • Tested in multiple human-subject studies (IRB-approved)

How does Lumos work?

The Lumos Smart Sleep Mask was designed to bring the Stanford scientists’ groundbreaking discoveries in the lab to real world applications for our users. It is designed to be a non-invasive, drug-free sleep solution to help users overcome circadian rhythm disorders and improve overall health.
It has been well established by science that light is the main regulator of circadian rhythm. The Lumos mask uses a process known as “light therapy”, which involves exposing the eyes to specific light programs that are known to regulate the circadian rhythms. Multiple human-subject studies at Stanford University have demonstrated that short light flashes were effective in regulating human circadian clocks. Lumos Smart Sleep Mask is designed with the same kind of light flash technology in the mask.

Circadian rhythm is more than sleep

Our body goes through natural cycles of physical, mental, and behavior changes in a 24-hour cycle.
The master circadian clock in the brain sets the timing for many circadian rhythms that regulate various processes in our body.

Sleep/wake cycles

Circadian rhythm determines when you feel sleepy or alert. It is the most important regulator of sleep.

Energy level

Circadian rhythm affects peaks and dips in energy, including physical strength, endurance, and other performance throughout the day.

Cognitive function

Circadian rhythms has a direct bearing on our focus and attention, our ability to learn new skills, working memory, and executive functions.

Eating and digesting

Circadian rhythms regulate much of our gastrointestinal physiology including cell proliferation, motility, digestion, absorption, and electrolyte balance.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Lumos for

How does the Lumos Sleep Mask work?

The Lumos Smart Sleep Mask was designed to bring the Stanford scientists’ groundbreaking discoveries in the lab to real world applications for our users. It is designed to be a non-invasive, drug-free sleep solution to help users overcome circadian rhythm disorders and improve overall health.

The Lumos mask uses a process known as "light therapy", which involves exposing the eyes to specific light programs that are known to regulate the body’s internal clock, or, more scientifically, the “circadian rhythm.”

The mask emits short, low-intensity light pulses that penetrate the users’ eyelids while the users are sleeping. Due to special properties of retinal biology, the light pulses have been shown by research from Stanford to be the most effective and practical way to adjust the circadian rhythms.

Who is Lumos for?

The short answer is: everyone.

The body’s internal clock, or, more scientifically, the “circadian rhythm,” exists in almost every organism on Earth, including animals, plants, and humans. It is the single most important factor of your sleep quality. It determines when you’re tired and when you’re wide-awake.

Biologically all humans are prone to poor sleep when there is misalignment between your body clock and your sleep schedule. Scientists call this phenomenon circadian rhythm misalignment, circadian rhythm disorder, or circadian clock disruptions. This gap makes it difficult to fall asleep (restless) and wake up (groggy), and might even result in frequent wake ups at night. A simple example of this is jet lag, however, there are other common obstacles that can knock your sleep out of alignment.

How does Lumos help with jet lag?

Jet lag is the most common example of circadian rhythm disorder. Jet lag can mess up your sleep when traveling across different time zones. When we travel to a new time zone, our internal clock can get out of sync with the new environment, leading to common jet lag symptoms such as sleep problems like difficulty falling asleep, waking up too early, or being groggy during the day. This is because our body needs time to adjust to the new time zone, and until it does, we might not get the best sleep.


Typically the human body can adjust for 1-hour time zone difference per day, so if you are heading from the US to Europe, it might take you a week to adjust. When it comes to what the Lumos Mask can do, in our product testing with 150 testers, 85% reported that they felt jet lag reduction by using Lumos. Additionally, based on our latest survey, out of the 240 respondents who have used the Lumos Mask, 89% reported that the mask had helped them.

How does Lumos help Night shift workers?

The human body is naturally designed to sleep at night when the lights are out, and up during the day when there is sunlight. This is contradictory to your sleep schedule if you work on a night shift.

Light therapy, like what we deliver in the Lumos Smart Sleep Mask, may help you adjust your body clock based on when you want to sleep. Additionally, both comfortable and functional, the Lumos mask can also help you block the light if you have to sleep during the day.

I’m a night owl. Can I use Lumos?

Night owls often have difficulties going to bed early and getting up early in the morning. A large part of this is controlled by your natural body clock.

The light flash technology in Lumos has been shown in the lab to shift human body clocks. You may try using Lumos to set an earlier bedtime and wake up earlier.

How may teenagers use Lumos?

Biologically, the secretion of melatonin, a chemical our brains pump out to tell our body it’s time for sleep, can be delayed by 2-3 hours during our teenage years. Most school and work schedules start early in the day, which makes it hard for you, or your teen, to get the right amount of sleep.

A teen study from Dr. Zeitzer’s lab at Stanford demonstrated that short light flashes assisted with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-i) successfully promoted earlier bedtime for teenagers and extended their sleep for 45 minutes longer each night. To bring this research to you or your kids, we have implemented the same light flash technology in the Lumos Mask.

How does Lumos help parents of young children?

As a parent of young children, you may often have to adjust your sleep schedule to accommodate your little ones' early wake-up times. Babies and toddlers tend to wake up early, and it can be tough to get the rest you need when you're constantly on their schedule. Don’t worry! Light therapy like what is provided in the Lumos Smart Sleep Mask is intended to help you get up early, so you are more in sync with your little ones.

How may Lumos help you change sleep schedule?

Occasionally you may need to get up 3 hours to go skiing, or “burn the midnight oil” for a one off event, project, or other important events. Using Lumos a day in advance may help you get in bed early for the morning ski trip, or stay at peak performance when you need to burn that midnight oil.

How does the Lumos Sleep Mask work?

The Lumos Smart Sleep Mask was designed to bring the Stanford scientists’ groundbreaking discoveries in the lab to real world applications for our users. It is designed to be a non-invasive, drug-free sleep solution to help users overcome circadian rhythm disorders and improve overall health.

The Lumos mask uses a process known as "light therapy", which involves exposing the eyes to specific light programs that are known to regulate the circadian rhythms.

The mask emits short, low-intensity light pulses that penetrate the users’ eyelids while the users are sleeping. Due to special properties of retinal biology, the light pulses have been shown by research from Stanford to be the most effective and practical way to adjust the circadian rhythms.

Can the Lumos Sleep Mask help me fall asleep faster?

If you're a night owl who struggles to fall asleep at a reasonable hour, adjusting your circadian rhythm can be a game-changer. Night owls often have a delayed circadian rhythm, meaning their bodies naturally want to stay up later and sleep in later. However, this can conflict with schedules that require waking up early in the morning, leading to difficulty falling asleep, not getting enough sleep, and daytime grogginess.

While it is possible to training your body to train your body to fall asleep faster by sticking to an earlier sleep schedule and prioritizing good sleep hygiene, it is usually very difficult. Fighting against your body’s natural circadian clock is like trying to kayak against the current or push a rock up the hill. That is why a lot of night owls cannot fall asleep even when they go to bed early. Therefore, aside from adjusting your daily routine, we also want to help you shift your circadian clock earlier, so you can actually fall asleep when you get in bed early.

Can the Lumos Sleep Mask help me sleep better?

The circadian rhythm is one of the two most important factors regulating sleep. If you are experiencing poor sleep, chances are by optimizing the circadian rhythm, you may significantly improve your sleep quality.

By prioritizing good sleep habits and paying attention to your body's natural sleep patterns, you can help your bodies better align with your desired sleep schedule. This means if you are naturally a night owl and don’t have to get up early, maybe you don’t have to force yourself to go to sleep early.

However, if you don’t have the luxury of flexible sleep timings, or you have to sleep at a different time than the natural tendency of your body clocks, you can try adjusting your body’s circadian clock. Natural remedies such as light therapy - like what we deliver in the Lumos Mask, can help regulate the circadian rhythm and improve sleep quality.

Additionally, exposure to morning light upon wake up has been shown to help maintain a healthy circadian clock, helping you fall asleep faster and reduce morning grogginess. The Sunrise alarm function in the Lumos Smart Sleep Mask mimics the process of gently waking you up, and getting you the morning light exposure that sets the foundation for a satisfying sleep for the next night.

Can I use the Lumos Sleep Mask if I have a sleep disorder?

Lumos is not intended to be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any sleep disorders. If you have a sleep disorder or suspect that you may have one, it is better to talk to your doctor, or even better, get an appointment at a sleep clinic to get further help.

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