Why We Should All Be Living with Tunable Circadian Lighting
Get an LED Lighting Design That Follows the Sun
The lightbulb’s invention changed everything. Suddenly, people could learn and work later in the day, spurring an industrial revolution. The light bulb reduced the number of house fires caused by candles, and people enjoyed more leisure time than ever.
While we love the lightbulb, it does have its drawbacks. Humans weren’t technically meant to stay up all night, and if you’re using bright, cool-toned lights late in the day, you could be accidentally disrupting your circadian rhythm.
But we’re in the midst of a new lighting revolution—the age of LED lighting design. With smart LED lighting systems, we can automate lights to complement and balance our internal clocks to live more healthily.
Read on to see how tunable circadian lighting works and will benefit your University Park, TX home. Interested in a LED lighting design? Contact Texadia Systems to get started.
SEE ALSO: Beat the Winter Blues with Warm Dim Lighting Control
The Psychology Behind Lighting
We’re not the only ones concerned about light and its emotional and psychological impact. Psychology professors Rachel and Stephen Kaplan conducted several studies observing how people react to different lighting environments. They discovered that lighting brightness levels and colors affected participants’ mental states, with bright lights intensifying emotions and low lights steadying moods. Cool-toned lights keep people more alert, while red-toned lights increase melatonin production and cause people to feel sleepy.
Most of us already know this to be true without reading the facts. Have you ever visited a candlelit, cozy restaurant and instantly felt relaxed? Compare that to the bright lights of a dentist’s office. Warm, dim lighting doesn’t fare well if you’re trying to work in the home office, but bright dentist lighting would feel unpleasant during dinner time.
How Circadian Lighting Works
When LED lights are integrated into a smart system like Lutron or Control4, the controller tells the lights to follow a daily schedule. As the hours pass, customized brightness levels and color temperatures adjust so lights mimic the sun. This can happen automatically, but you can also fine-tune the lights’ appearance from your phone app, tablet, wall keypad, or even voice control.
Lighting for Daytime
A smart lighting system isn’t only about lights. We incorporate motorized shades that activate according to programmed schedules or light sensors, so you always have ample natural light where you want it. If it’s a cloudy day or certain areas receive less natural light, LED lights will brighten to the exact level you need with a bright, cool tone to mimic a sunny blue sky.
Lighting for Evenings
As the sun starts to set, your tunable lights will independently and gradually soften to a golden shade of white. Lights eventually dim and glow in an amber hue that relaxes your mind. It’s the perfect lighting for a glass of wine, reading, and then settling into bed. And it’s the same lights you used this morning for energizing productivity!
If you’re interested in a smart lighting design in the University Park area, contact Texadia Systems to learn more. We install custom technology systems in luxury homes across Dallas-Texas. We look forward to hearing from you!
