When picking lighting for their home, most people focus on things like style and energy efficiency. While these are certainly important, there are also some other essential factors you need to consider. Did you know that home lighting can also have a huge impact on your mood and physical health? Research has found that interior lighting has a lot of interesting effects on our everyday life.
Interior Lighting Changes Your Circadian Rhythm
Why does home lighting affect your health? The main reason it impacts your health is because of a biological mechanism called the circadian rhythm. Without getting too deep into all the scientific details, your circadian rhythm is basically your body’s natural response to the day-and-night cycle. Your hormones, digestive system, internal temperature, and other bodily processes all naturally shift based on a 24-hour schedule. This is why you usually wake up at certain times and feel hungry at certain times even if you don’t look at the clock.
Light has a huge impact on your circadian rhythm. Normally, your body’s circadian rhythm follows the brightness of the sun. However, when you’re indoors, synthetic lighting can cause subtle changes. You might not notice it right away, but flicking on a light switch at dusk can essentially reset your internal clock. The most obvious change is that you won’t feel sleepy at a normal time. This effect is especially pronounced in homes with blue-tinted interior lighting which more closely mimics the look of the sun. Therefore, you might want to adjust your bedroom lighting to provide dim, warm light before you sleep.
Certain Shades of Light Enhance Focus and Creativity
If you’ve encountered lighting design in Monterey CA before, you probably know all about light temperatures. Temperature refers to your light’s color. Even though most lights might seem like a colorless white, they can be cool and blue or warm and red. It turns out that light temperature does more than accent your interior design. 2015 research found that it also impacts the way we think.
Researchers studied subjects as they performed various tasks under all sorts of lighting. They found that people concentrated the most under cold light. Meanwhile, warm light encouraged subjects to be more creative. This means you can improve your thinking just by adjusting the lighting in your home. Try a cool light in your home office or use a warm light in your studio or workshop.
Boost Your Mood With the Right Lighting System
Does the idea of sitting in a dim, dark room feel depressing? It turns out that light level can impact your mood. A 2008 study discovered that brighter light tends to boost your mood. Research has also found that spending time in rooms filled with natural light can release serotonin, the hormone associated with happiness and calmness.
Natural light is certainly the best way of lifting your mood, but even during the dark winter months, you can take advantage of the power of light. Certain types of interior light do a great job of mimicking sunlight. To get the most positivity out of your lights, aim for bright, slightly cool-tinted lights that can be adjusted to dimmer levels in the evening.
Your Lights Can Alter Your Appetite
Since your circadian rhythm affects your sense of hunger, it’s no surprise that lighting impacts the way you eat. Restaurant chains have spent thousands of dollars analyzing all the ways that lighting can affect their patrons. The most noticeable effect is that dim light makes people eat slower and bright light makes them eat faster. Furthermore, bright light or blue light can increase hunger and encourage people to eat more.
There are all sorts of ways to incorporate this knowledge into your home. For a person who struggles with overeating, a brightly lit breakfast nook can be a great way to reduce hunger. Meanwhile, the family who wants to encourage everyone to linger over dinner might prefer soft mood lighting in their dining room.
Avoid Eye Strain by Choosing Your Home Lights Wisely
In modern times, eye strain is a major health problem for many people. Too much time spent reading tiny blocks of text can wear out your eyes, and harsh, artificial light makes it worse. In small doses, eye strain gives you a headache or burning eyes. If you routinely strain your eyes, you can even end up with ongoing problems like migraines or eye issues.
The best way to reduce eye strain is by picking bright, yet gentle light. You need a light that’s bright enough to let you see with ease, but you need to avoid any strong glare that puts too much stress on your eyes. To further protect your eyes, medical experts recommend that you avoid fluorescent lights and pick directional lights that you can adjust to block glare.
Some Types of Light Can Intensify Emotions
Your lighting can do more than just make you happy or sad. Studies indicate that bright light intensifies all emotions. If you’re feeling energetic and excited, this can be a good thing. However, when you’re stressed or anxious, bright light can become a problem. Being aware of this effect can make it easier to unwind when you’re feeling tense.
This is why adjustable lighting is so important. Ideally, it allows you to create a home that moves and changes with your life. When you’re feeling positive, a bright, cheerful living room can make you even more cheerful. However, when you’ve had a long day at work, switching to a dimmer light can give you a little space to relax.
Enhance Your Energy and Motivation With Your Home Lighting
If you feel like you could use a little motivation during your day, take another look at your home lighting. Productivity research has found that stronger lights tend to make people work harder. In addition to brightness, temperature also has an impact. Cooler, blue-tinted lighting helps people to feel more energetic and motivated.
This can be very helpful if you’re designing a lighting system for your home office, but it also is useful outside of work. You can use your lights to help you get pumped for a workout or excited to be working on your next project.
As you can see, your home lighting greatly affects how you feel, sleep, focus, and more. To get the most out of your lighting, you need thoughtfully-designed lights that address all your needs. The Home Lighter is here to help you upgrade your lighting system. Our team specializes in personalized designs that suit your unique lifestyle. To learn more about our custom lighting design in Monterey CA, contact us to schedule a consultation.