Healthy Home: Light Quality
Light Quality and a Healthy Home
Humans have an internal clock that runs on roughly a 24-hour cycle and is controlled by the tones and levels of light received. This is called your circadian rhythm, and it is based on the schedule of the sun. The type of light you are exposed to at different times of the day can affect how you feel throughout the day and how you sleep at night.
Bad artificial lighting plagues most office buildings and many homes. Plus, many of us spend our day without seeing natural daylight at all.
What are the impacts of bad lighting?
Not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep
Lack of energy and productivity during the day
Headaches and distraction from glaring light
Decreased happiness from lack of exposure to natural daylight
Your body wants bright light in the morning to suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone in your body that aids in sleep. In the evening, your body wants low levels of warm light and then darkness to start creating the melatonin again.
Natural daylight is the best way to keep your circadian rhythm on track, but if you can’t get natural daylight throughout the day, artificial light aligned with nature’s clock works also. You want your circadian rhythm on track so you can get restful sleep and have energy during the day.
How to Improve Light (and Sleep) Quality in Your Home
Opt for shades instead of curtains: You want to enjoy natural light during the day and reduce energy consumption. But sometimes sunlight can overheat spaces or cause glare which leads to discomfort, distraction and stress.
To control the sunlight, choose translucent shading devices instead of heavy, opaque curtains to allow natural light in while controlling glare and overheating.
Choose warm, orange-colored lights for your bedroom: Put orange colored light bulbs in your bedroom reading lamps to help your body transition to a sleep state.
Add blackout shades to your bedroom windows: Block outisde light at night with blackout shades. You want total darkness in your room to get the most restful night’s sleep.
