IS YOUR LIGHTING AFFECTING YOUR WELLBEING?

I have ALWAYS hated fluorescent lit rooms! However, I never truly understood all of the reasons why. Now I have even more of the science behind why! …Read More

Sorra lighting event hosted by Madcap Cottage at their remarkably beautiful home during High Point Market spring 2018

One of the main reasons that I now attend High Point Market is for all of the many educational opportunities. As an interior designer, I believe that it is imperative that I keep up with what is the latest in all areas of my home industry as best as I can. Therefore, my intuitive self knew that I had to attend the Madcap Cottage event sponsored by Sorra to continue upgrading my knowledge of lighting. And boy did I ever learn alot!

According to AIA from one of the articles used for this post, new levels of studies are giving us even more detailed explanations on how and why our lighting plays a very drastic role on not only our mental and emotional wellness, but also has a significant impact on our physical wellness. The benefits of correct or appropriate lighting are:

HEALTHIER BRAINS

DEEPER SLEEP & ENERGY

LOWER STRESS & ANXIETY

INCREASED MOVIVATION

Here is why: (please see source at end of post)

‘’We have all experienced the relief of leaving a fluorescent-lit room and stepping outside back out into the natural sunlight. The spectral output of fluorescent lights is to blame for this drastic physiological response. In winter months, many people are known to be diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), while many more self-diagnose their yearly “winter blues.” LED lighting is used in the treatment of SAD and has also been shown to improve mood, decrease stress, and create a generally healthier and happier environment—all because the lighting spectrum mimics that of natural sunlight.

Natural light is one of the many reasons being outside is so healthy as we experience being on our screened in porch

A healthy sleep/wake cycle, especially in older adults, is crucial to mental cognition and physical health. Our bodies’ 24-hour cycle is governed by hormonal responses triggered by full-spectrum light; light that is provided by sunlight and LED but not by fluorescent lighting.”

Would you believe that just recently I have become aware of the negative effects of blue light? Well, I knew to cover the blue light on any devices in our bedroom, or hotel room, but I had no knowledge on how blue light negatively effects sleep cycles before bedtime by shifting our natural circadium rhythm that regulates our body clock. Blue light supresses melotonim having a negative effect on our wellness by interfering with our sleep. According to a Harvard study, lack of sleep is connected to diabetes, depression, insomia, and cardivascular disease (high blood presssure etc). Another fact of the underlying issues of compromised WELLNESS.

Most of you know I am a forever fan of blue and white as shown here in our living room, but now NOT BLUE LIGHT!

Additional Fact: Blue light is all around us (cell phones, computer screens, HD TVs) and blue light filters have questionable results. (Shadab Rahman, Harvard Medical School Sleep Research)

However, there are possible solutions:

Turn off screens a few hours or at least right before trying to sleep.

Use Soraa’s Healthy light bulb and not regular LED light bulbs in bedrooms for reading before bedtime.

LOVE BobBob and grand angel time, but not what I have always thought to be invasive, this fluorscent over head. They also didn’t like it so is now replaced at my son’s mountain home.

The Solution

”So what’s a smart, health-conscious person to do to combat blue light at night? The better solution is to pass on the blue light filter and fill your room with blue-free light instead. Soraa Healthy™ lighting features Zero Blue™ technology, so rather than masking blue light with a color filter, Soraa Zero Blue™ technology fills your bedroom with warm white light that replaces blue light with violet to help you sleep. There’s no loss in light quality either, so you can still view the world how you normally see it, and your circadian rhythm will remain undisrupted at nighttime.”And more and more impacts on our WELLNESS associated with lighting will be forthcoming:

‘’These studies and more are lending themselves to a new movement called human-centric lighting (HCL). It centers on the relationship between light and levels of well-being, where the effects on circadian rhythms—mental, physical, and biological changes—can be correlated to specific light conditions.’’

https://youtu.be/PhACsk5muIA

I have included my past video on kitchen lighting in this post on lighting as we are connecting more and more dots to our wellness with our lighting.

LIGHTING NOT ONLY AFFECTS OUR SPACES, BUT OUR WELLBEING.

We all are realizing that WELLNESS is a huge topic today impacting all areas of our personal lives. However, connecting WELLNESS to our homes is rather new but will continue to be an even bigger topic ahead. This is not referring to raised toilet seats and grab bars my dear readers. There is now a vast opportunity to achieve WELLNESS in our homes with very simple solutions as stated in this post. So for me, actually learning what light bulbs I choose personally and for my clients is now another added benefit to achieve and restore wholeness, balance, and WELLNESS to our homes and our lives.

And from the iconic Barbara Barry, “Lighting brings a room to life. It creates mood and ambiance, and feelings of warm and home. A well-lit room can be magical”

I could not agree more.

Living Life together,

Mitzi