What Is Circadian Lighting and Should You Add It at Home?
Electric light has been known to have a negative impact on people’s ability to sleep properly. In order to help you sleep, a system known as circadian lighting has been developed, which follows the natural circadian rhythm of your body.
In this article, in order to assist you in determining if this lighting is right for you, we will outline what exactly circadian lighting is, the benefits of it, and the different types of light bulbs that you can get to implement this kind of system.
What is Circadian Lighting?
Circadian lighting was designed to follow the human circadian rhythm, which is our internal 24-hour clock that tells us when it is time to go to sleep and when it is time to wake up. Electric light can sometimes have a negative impact on your circadian rhythm, thus affecting not just your sleep cycle, but also how well you sleep at night. Circadian lighting, in turn, attempts to mitigate that impact by reinforcing natural light signals that can help you to sleep deeper and wake more easily.
When implementing circadian lighting, there are three systems that can be used to better support the body’s natural daytime and nighttime signals:
- Intensity Tuning — Intensity tuning targets the brightness of your lighting through a controlled dimming system. To correlate with the time of day, lights are set to a low intensity in the morning, transition to a higher intensity in the afternoon, and then go back to a low intensity in the evening.
- Colour Tuning — Colour tuning focuses on mirroring natural daytime and nighttime lighting by changing your lighting’s intensity and correlated colour temperature (CCT). As denoted by its name, CCT refers to the temperature of your lighting, whether warm or cool. So, with colour tuning, cooler CCTs are used in the afternoon when the sun is at its highest to promote alertness, while warmer CCTs are used in the morning and evening to represent when the sun is rising and setting, promoting relaxation.
- Stimulus Tuning — Stimulus tuning specifically targets the harmful blue light of electric lighting. This means that lighting fixtures are programmed to reduce their blue light wavelengths during the evening, helping to avoid the melatonin suppression that this blue light causes, which can then help you sleep better at night.
Benefits of Circadian Lighting
Health and Well-Being
The main benefit of circadian lighting is the positive effect it has on health and well-being. As discussed, the purpose of this type of lighting is to enhance people’s natural sleeping patterns and it does just that, allowing for deeper sleep and an easier time waking up.
Aside from helping you become better rested, circadian lighting can also boost your mood. It has been shown that light can have a positive psychological impact on people, especially if they reside in darker areas or spend most of their time inside. With lighting that reflects the natural light of the sun, you may begin to notice a positive change in your mood or behaviour.
Productivity
Another benefit is increased productivity. Using cool lighting, which mimics afternoon sunlight, can help you feel more awake, promoting improved awareness and focus. This is ideal for a home office or any other space where you need to get work done during the day.
As well, the simple act of sleeping better can improve cognitive function, increasing your ability to think clearly, focus, react faster, and enhance your problem-solving and decision-making skills. All of which then leads to increased productivity in the workplace.
Types of Circadian Lighting for Home
There are different types of light bulbs and fixtures that you can get for your home to begin trying out circadian lighting systems. They can even be mixed and matched to figure out what works best for you and your family.
These light bulbs include:
- Sunlight — Sunlight light bulbs are the closest you can get to natural sunlight. They limit the amount of blue light that the bulbs themselves put out, which allows your body to produce more melatonin. This can help you get the rest that you need.
- Cool Tone — Best for active spaces like a home office or laundry room, cool tone light bulbs replicate sunlight at its peak in the afternoon. This promotes wakefulness and attentiveness, helping you stay focused on the task at hand.
- Warm Tone — Best for comfortable spaces like the bedroom or living room, warm tone light bulbs replicate the type of natural light found during the times when the sun rises and sets. This promotes relaxation and helps you to wind down at the end of the day, getting you ready to go to sleep.
- Smart Technology — Smart technology light bulbs, which you can control with your phone, have a multitude of options available. With this type of light bulb you can brighten and dim the lights depending on your needs and even set a schedule that follows your natural circadian rhythm.
Final Thoughts
Throughout this article, we have outlined exactly what circadian rhythm lighting is, the benefits of this kind of lighting system, and the types of light bulbs you can get for your home. At Siga Home Comfort, we are committed to providing you with the best lighting options. To browse the light fixtures that we have available and determine which one is right for you and your home, come on down to our Toronto showroom.
