The past few months have unsurprisingly seen a considerable escalation in the discussion around working from home. Many say it is the future and that soon we will all be doing it whilst others cite loneliness and isolation as well as lost opportunities to collaborate and create. At its worst it has been described as living at work which paints a particularly unhappy picture. Something you may not have considered is the impact that working from home might have on your circadian rhythm. If, like me, you weren't aware you had one, let alone what it might be, your circadian rhythm is best described as your sleep / wake cycle and is dictated by exposure to natural light.

The impact that a lack of natural light has on circadian rhythms has been gaining traction amongst those advising on rights of light. The most recent decision from the High Court delivered shortly before the lockdown, made no mention of circadian rhythms but did signal the potential for a departure from the traditional approach to rights of light. There is no question in my mind that how light is measured and protected will change, the only questions are when and how.

We can expect to see concepts such as radiance and the consideration of reflected light playing a part but whether the law will develop to take account of circadian rhythms is less clear. The recent dramatic increase in working from home coupled with the fact that wellbeing is at the top of any employer's agenda suggests we may well be hearing more about circadian rhythms in the future and not only in the context of rights of light.