Circadian Lighting Improves Child Sleep Transitions and Mood – The Parent Study – Part 1
The rising of the sun is an evolutionary cue to our bodies to begin our days. The day’s sun brings energy, but it also synchronizes our circadian clock, our body’s rhythm that drives everything from energy levels, to metabolism, to mood and mental focus.
School and Hospital Wellness Rooms Seen in a New Light
Wellness and calming rooms are increasingly common in K–12 schools and hospitals to reduce stress, improve focus, and support emotional well-being. These spaces often include sensory tools, comfortable seating, and adjustable lighting. However, lighting is typically limited to changes in color or brightness, lacking the high-melanopic circadian lighting crucial for supporting, mood, alertness and regulating biological rhythms—especially important given that most classrooms and offices have bright but sky-blue-deficient lighting.
What is Circadian Lighting and How Does it Work?
Circadian lighting is a new frontier in indoor lighting design, aimed at supporting the body’s natural 24-hour internal clock—known as the circadian rhythm. Unlike traditional lighting, which prioritizes brightness and color rendering for visual tasks, circadian lighting is designed with biology in mind. It seeks to mimic the natural light cycle of the sun, signaling the brain when it’s time to be alert and active, and when it’s time to relax and prepare for rest.
How Does Our Circadian Rhythm Affect Our Health?
Our circadian rhythm is best described as the natural cycle of mental, physical, and behavioral changes the body goes through in a 24 hour cycle. Often referred to as our “biological clock”, this system helps to regulate our bodies to function optimally within the cycle of a day.
In this blog we will discuss the affects of circadian rhythm and health by examining the underlying hormonal processes within that are governed by it. These hormonal processes can directly affect our mood, mental health, sleep quality, and even our productivity. Understanding how light affects these processes can help us to optimize our lives and improve our overall health.
Circadian Lighting Design Made Simple
The discovery that light fundamentally affects our health revolutionized how we think about lighting interior spaces. Lighting design now involves considerations of biology, especially the impact of illumination on circadian rhythm.
Business at the speed of (circadian) light: A F500 Company Productivity Study
The business world is transforming not just because of technological or strategic innovations, but also because of biology. Many recent biological breakthroughs in how our living environment affects fundamental health are making it clear that the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the light that shines upon us have deep-biological influences on our minds and bodies.
Daylighting, Weather, and Wuthering Heights
As I put down the book to take a break from the bleak, stormy moors and constant gloom surrounding Wuthering Heights, the steady downpour outside my window accentuates my blah feelings on an otherwise relaxing winter weekend. I’m struck by the decidedly muted light bathing my reading chair, despite it being midday in Spring, and sitting within a meter of a large, east-facing window. I wondered how much mood- and energy-boosting natural light actually reaches me through the window during inclement weather. My handy melanopic spectrometer, held vertically facing the window at 1.5m, registered a mere 155 m-EDI despite being bright enough to read by. Could my present funk be part Brontë and part melanopic light deficiency?
Why You Should Care About Human-Centric (HCL) Lighting
Indoor Lighting technology is at a watershed moment. In the past homeowners and business owners focused on brightness and energy efficiency, but these days the right lighting can do so much more, including supporting the human circadian rhythm and health.
Human-centric lighting, also called circadian, circadian-effective lighting, or melanopic lighting describes any advanced lighting solutions that synchronize with how the body utilizes the natural light cycle to stay healthy and productive. Where does traditional lighting fall short, and how much of a difference can human-centric lighting truly make in a world that spends more time indoors than ever before?
What is Mood Lighting? Mood Lighting vs. Lighting for Your Mood
We’ve all heard of mood lighting being used in restaurants and bars to increase business or to create a desired atmosphere, but did you know that the right light at the right time can alter the way we feel and actually improve our mood?
In this blog we will discuss the difference between mood lighting and lighting that improves our mood, focus, and alertness, with a focus on how we can engender those effects using the right type of light.
How Does Light affect our Circadian Rhythm, Health and Wellness?
Our circadian rhythm is the internal, 24-hour biological clock that governs sleep, hormone production, digestion, alertness, and mood. This intricate cycle helps us feel awake and energized during the day and prepares us for rest and repair at night. Disruptions to this rhythm can impact our mental, emotional, and physical health in significant ways (Czeisler et al. 1999; Fishbein et al. 2021).