Lighting Design Impacts

Ever wake up just before your alarm? It might not be a coincidence… It turns out, our brains have a natural way of keeping track of time, an inborn “clock” mechanism, which is synchronised to light in our environment. It’s got the coolest name for such a tiny brain region: the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) - literally, the group of cells (nucleus) above (supra) the optic chiasm (crossing). The SCN is essentially your brain’s “master clock” because it is responsible for coordinating our circadian rhythms. Light-sensitive cells in your eyes send signals to the SCN, which regulates melatonin - a hormone that makes us sleepy - via the pineal gland. Our species evolved to be diurnal, being active in the day and sleeping at night. As a result, daylight inhibits melatonin release, making us more alert. At night, the lack of light promotes melatonin release, making us sleepy. This is why for better sleep hygiene, experts often recommend limiting exposure to electronic devices for at least an hour before bedtime. The light from electronic devices can shift your body clock and this gets aggravated by heightened anxiety associated with doom scrolling -- neither of which helps your sleep. Want to support your brain’s internal clock? A few simple habits can make a big difference: 👉 Get natural sunlight in the morning. This helps reset your body clock. 👉 Stick to a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends. 👉 Limit screens at least an hour before bed. 👉 Keep your bedroom dark and cool to promote better sleep. BTW, in teenagers melatonin starts to be produced later at night, which is why many teenagers don’t feel sleepy until much later in the evening. It’s also the reason they struggle to get up in the morning. For teens, going to school early is a bit like forcing them into a different time zone during the week and only letting them reset on weekends. When your teenager sleeps in on the weekends, bear in mind they are dealing with a genuine biological change in their circadian rhythm during the teenage years. So when you wake right before your alarm, blame (or credit!) your suprachiasmatic nucleus for being such a good time keeper! Understanding our biology helps us work with our natural rhythms rather than against them. How do you optimize your daily schedule around your circadian patterns?

Lighting in design is a nervous system language. Long before we built walls or wrote words, we read the language of light. The human body doesn’t just see light, it actually feels light on a cellular level. Its tone. Its rhythm. Its emotional temperature. Modern neuroscience has confirmed that light directly influences the production of hormones that govern your mood, alertness, and circadian rhythm. This means that modern neuroscience has also confirmed what the most intuitive designers have always known: Light is not just visual, it’s hormonal, neurological, and deeply emotional. It sets the pace of our days. It tells our bodies when to rest, when to focus, and when to feel safe. In high-end design, this goes far beyond pretty pendants or trendy sconces. This is emotional architecture. This week we explore how sensory-first lighting design helps regulate the nervous system, restore well-being, and quietly redefine what high-end living really means. Happy reading below ↓ 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eiKSccqp #LightingDesign #SensoryDesign #InteriorDesign #Wellbeing #EmotionalArchitecture #InclusiveDesign #WellnessDesign #WellnessArchitecture

Sleeping with lights on can give you heart disease in few years. A study on 88,905 people over 9.5 years proved it. I've spent years obsessing over SmartGRID technology at The Sleep Company. Back pain, spinal alignment, comfort - we thought we had it figured out. Then UK Biobank published research that changed everything. They studied 88,905 adults over 9.5 years. The findings were shocking. The biggest cardiovascular threat while you sleep is the light in your bedroom. Here's what the data showed: 📍 People in moderately bright rooms had a 20% higher risk of heart attack.  📍 Those in brighter rooms faced a 27% higher risk.  📍 The brightest rooms showed a 47% increase. The mechanism is disturbing: → Artificial light disrupts circadian rhythm → Triggers brain stress activity → Inflames blood vessels over time → Raises cardiovascular disease risk What makes this urgent for India: Already, cardiovascular diseases are rising at a high rate. Urban areas have constant light pollution. Most bedrooms have multiple light sources at night - phones, streetlights, electronics. Here's what you can do to protect your heart: → Keep bedrooms completely dark using blackout curtains → Turn off all electronics 30-60 minutes before sleep → Use warm, dim lighting if you need a nightlight → Cover or remove LED indicators from devices in your room Better sleep isn't just about comfort anymore. It's about protecting your heart by controlling your bedroom environment. This changes how we need to think about sleep health entirely.

🔦 Importance of Lux Level Measurement in the Workplace! 💡 Did you know that adequate lighting plays a crucial role in creating a safe and productive work environment? Measuring lux levels helps ensure optimal lighting conditions, benefiting both employees and organizations. Here's why it matters: 1️⃣ Visual Comfort: Proper lux levels prevent eye strain, fatigue, and headaches, enhancing overall visual comfort. Brightness that's too low or high can negatively impact concentration and productivity. 2️⃣ Safety & Accident Prevention: Adequate lighting reduces the risk of accidents, such as slips, trips, and falls. It enhances visibility of potential hazards, emergency exits, and pathways, promoting a safe workplace. 3️⃣ Productivity & Performance: Well-lit spaces improve alertness, focus, and cognitive performance. Employees can better perform tasks with accuracy and efficiency, leading to higher productivity levels. 4️⃣ Mood & Well-being: Sufficient lighting positively affects mood and well-being, fostering a positive work environment. Natural light or lighting mimicking daylight can even boost morale and reduce stress. To ensure proper lighting levels, it's essential to follow industry standards. One commonly referenced standard is the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Recommended Practice for Lighting. Here's a general guideline for lux levels across different work areas: 🌟 Office Spaces: 300-500 lux 🌟 Meeting Rooms: 500-750 lux 🌟 Classrooms: 300-500 lux 🌟 Libraries: 300-500 lux 🌟 Retail Stores: 750-1500 lux 🌟 Warehouses: 150-300 lux 🌟 Manufacturing Areas: 300-500 lux 🌟 Hospitals: 500-1000 lux 🌟 Outdoor Spaces: Varies based on the specific area and activity. Appropriate lighting levels in the workplace promotes a conducive and efficient work environment. #LightingStandards #WorkplaceSafety #EmployeeWellbeing #ProductivityBoost

“I got 8 hours… so why am I still exhausted?” Turns out, you can ‘sleep’ through the night… and still not rest. Studies now show that most people experience 10–20 micro-wakeups per hour of sleep especially in light sleep phases. You won’t remember them. But your brain and body feel every single one. And here’s the kicker: These wakeups are often caused by things you thought you fixed: 🧠 Light exposure too late in the evening Even 30 lux (a dim bedside lamp) can suppress melatonin production. LED overheads and late-night screens? Far worse. 👀 Visual overstimulation Eye strain doesn’t turn off when your laptop does. If your eyes are wired before bed, your nervous system is too. 🌡 Room too hot = poor thermal drop Your core body temp needs to fall ~1°C to induce and maintain deep sleep. Too-warm rooms (or too many blankets) block this and trigger partial wake-ups. 📱 Midnight notifications or buzzing phones Even on silent, that low glow or anticipation can be enough to jolt the brain. And these aren’t just annoyances. They interrupt critical sleep cycles like: REM (memory, learning, emotion regulation) Deep sleep (cellular repair, immune support, hormonal balance) So what actually helps? Here’s what I do, backed by science, not trends: ✅ Block out overheads 1 hour before bed (lamps > ceiling lights) ✅ Use blue light filters after sunset, not just “in the evening” ✅ Keep my room at 18–19°C (sweet spot for thermal drop) ✅ Leave my phone in another room or face-down on airplane mode ✅ Invested in blackout curtains (seriously underrated) Your day starts the night before. And if you’re building a business, your rest is as strategic as your pitch deck. Sleep debt compounds, but so does sleep discipline. Anyone else fine-tuned their evening routine and finally felt the difference?

🌙 The Impact of 5700K Light Temperature on Wildlife and Vegetation: Why Amber Lighting is the Future of Eco-Friendly Illumination 🌿 ⚠️ The Challenge with 5700K/6500K Lighting: Many outdoor and industrial fixtures emit 5700K - a cool white, daylight-like light. While great for visibility & color rendering, it disrupts ecosystems: 🦉 Wildlife Disruption: Blue-rich 5700K light affects nocturnal animals’ circadian rhythms, disrupting feeding, mating & migration. 🌱 Vegetation Stress: Plants exposed to excessive blue light show altered flowering and growth, impacting ecological balance. 🌌 Skyglow & Pollution: Cool white lights increase light pollution, wasting energy & masking the night sky. 📚 Real-World Evidence Supporting Amber Lighting Several studies and city initiatives have shown that switching from 5700K to Amber lighting significantly mitigates these issues: 🌆 Tucson’s Amber Street Lighting Initiative: The city of Tucson, Arizona, replaced many of its 5700K streetlights with amber LEDs (~3000K). This shift led to a noticeable reduction in light pollution and positive impacts on nocturnal wildlife, including bats and moths, whose natural behaviors were preserved without sacrificing public safety. (Luginbuhl et al., 2013) 🐢 Sea Turtle Hatchlings Navigation: Research by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found that hatchling sea turtles exposed to blue-rich 5700K lighting became disoriented, increasing mortality risks. Conversely, amber and red lighting enabled safer navigation toward the ocean, demonstrating the lifesaving potential of warmer light spectra. (Witherington et al., 2017) 🌸 Plant Growth and Phenology: Studies published in Environmental Pollution (2019) highlight how blue-heavy light disrupts plant circadian rhythms & flowering cycles, potentially harming ecosystems. Amber lighting, with reduced blue light, showed fewer negative effects, promoting healthier plant development. (Gaston et al., 2019) 🌠 Reducing Sky Glow and Energy Waste: According to the International Dark-Sky Association’s 2020 report, communities that adopted warm-colored lighting (2700K or below) significantly decreased sky glow, preserving natural nightscapes. (IDA, 2020) Amber & warm-colored lighting offers a balanced solution: 🔵 Emits minimal blue light, reducing disruption to animals. 🌿 Helps maintain healthy plant cycles. 🌌 Less glare & skyglow. ✅ Modern amber LEDs still meet safety and visibility needs. 🌍 Lighting That Respects Life. Rethinking our lighting choices is need of the HOUR ⏱️ Lighting shapes ecosystems as much as it shapes cities. Shifting from harsh 5700K lighting to amber options is a practical step toward sustainability - not just conserving energy, but protecting life. Switch to Amber🌟. Save Nature 🦌. See the Stars 💫. #Wildlifematters #LightPollution #Amber #Biodiversity #RespectLife #LimitSkyGlow #ResponsibleLighting #LightingSolutions #LightPollution #Vegetationprotection #Planet #Earth #LightisLife

Outdoor lighting isn’t just about visibility—it’s about balance... Poorly designed lighting contributes to light pollution, energy waste, and disrupted ecosystems. The DarkSky International initiative lays out 𝘍𝘐𝘝𝘌 🖐 key principles that every architect and designer should embrace to create lighting that is functional, sustainable, and responsible. 1️⃣ 𝙐𝙨𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙉𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 Not every space needs to be illuminated all night. Smart controls, timers, and motion sensors help minimize unnecessary lighting, reducing energy waste and light pollution. Are we truly designing for necessity, or just over-lighting for the sake of it? 2️⃣ 𝙏𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 Unshielded fixtures that emit light in all directions cause skyglow and glare. Directing light precisely where it’s needed enhances visibility while preventing waste and disruption to natural environments. Every light source should have a defined purpose. 3️⃣ 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 More light isn’t always better—it often makes glare worse, reducing contrast and visibility. Lower lumen levels, combined with proper fixture placement, can achieve better results while maintaining comfort and safety. 4️⃣ 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙏𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 Cooler, blue-rich lights (above 3000K) disrupt human circadian rhythms and harm wildlife. Opting for warmer tones (2700K–3000K) reduces these impacts while still providing effective illumination. Thoughtful color temperature selection is key to human-centric lighting design. 5️⃣ 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙀𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 LED technology has given us incredible energy savings, but it must be used responsibly. Choosing fixtures that are energy-efficient while adhering to DarkSky guidelines ensures both functionality and sustainability. Lighting should serve its purpose without creating unintended consequences. As professionals shaping the built environment, we have a responsibility to integrate lighting principles that support a healthier planet, improved human well-being, and a truly dark sky. Image Credit: DarkSky #codelumen #LightingDesign #Sustainability #DarkSky #ArchitecturalLighting #HumanCentricLighting #OutdoorDesign

Your LED lighting is the most dangerous toxin in your home. It's silently destroying your sleep, hormones, & metabolism. Here are 5 tips to hack your environment for peak health: I was a Product Manager for GE's LED Lighting category, where I helped design one of their first health-focused products - a low-blue emission night light. Every LED bulb in your house starts as a blue light source. Manufacturers add phosphor coatings to scatter that blue into other colors, but the underlying blue component is always there, present in the spectrum. Your eyes use blue light as a daytime signal. It tells your body to stay alert and suppresses melatonin production. During the day, that's exactly what you want. But at night, it can disrupt your circadian rhythm. The spectral curves tell the whole story: • Incandescent (healthiest, but inefficient) • Fluorescent (low-grade biological torture) • LEDs (middle ground if choosing warmer CCTs like 2700K) • Sunlight (biological baseline) When I showed these graphs to retail buyers at GE, they finally understood why customers complained about sleep issues after switching to LEDs. Here's what blue light does after sunset: • Suppresses melatonin production • Signals your brain to stay alert • Can affect sleep quality and depth • May influence hormone production during sleep The solutions are simpler than you'd think: 1. Avoid 5000K (cool white) LEDs in your home These emit maximum blue light. While great for daytime energy, they're the worst for nighttime. 2. Use 2700K bulbs as your baseline Better for day and early evening, but even these emit too much blue for nighttime. After sundown, use mitigation: amber/red lights, blue-blocking glasses, or Night Shift on devices. 3. Use built-in features like Apple's Night Shift Set to "Sunset to Sunrise" to automate this. It reduces blue light from devices automatically. 4. Wear blue blocker glasses 1-2 hours before bed These filter blue wavelengths. They protect your biology even on devices or under LEDs. 5. Install tunable lighting like Philips Hue A 2-4 bulb starter kit covers most bedrooms. Their warm settings reduce blue light significantly. Pro tip: Pure red light has no blue emission. Your body recognizes it as darkness. If you can adjust to the vibe, it's the healthiest night option. For best sleep, minimize blue light at sundown. For 1 hour before bed: • Wear blue blocker glasses • Use red (1700-1800K) or candlelight • Avoid screens Try for 1 week and sleep improvement is almost instant. Blue light isn't bad. During the day, it keeps you alert. But at night, it's killing your deep sleep. Simple bulb swaps and device settings improve melatonin production. You'll get back the restorative sleep your body needs.

Understanding the Lighting Requirements for Strawberry Cultivation 1. Natural Sunlight Requirements:   Strawberries are sun-loving plants, and they thrive when exposed to ample sunlight. Ideally, they need at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight daily. Choose a sunny location for your strawberry patch, ensuring they receive the light they need for optimal growth and fruit production. 2. Lighting Intensity:   Adequate light intensity is vital for strawberry plants. Measure light intensity in terms of PPFD. Aim for a minimum of 120 to 240 μmol/(m²·s) for optimal growth. Use a light meter to monitor light levels and adjust the placement of your plants accordingly. 3. Lighting Duration:   Pay attention to the duration of light exposure. During the vegetative growth stage, strawberries benefit from 14 to 16 hours of light each day. As they transition to the flowering and fruiting stages, a shorter duration of 8 to 12 hours is generally sufficient. 4. Light Spectrum:   The spectrum of light plays a crucial role in the growth and development of strawberry plants. A balanced spectrum that includes blue light (400-500 nanometers) and red light (600-700 nanometers) is ideal. Blue light encourages vegetative growth, while red light stimulates flowering and fruiting. Full-spectrum LED lights are commonly recommended for providing a comprehensive range of wavelengths. 5. Artificial Lighting – LED Fixtures:   In situations where natural sunlight is insufficient or unavailable, supplemental lighting becomes necessary. LED (Light Emitting Diode) fixtures have gained popularity in strawberry cultivation due to their energy efficiency and customizable spectrum. When choosing LED fixtures, consider:   - Full Spectrum: Opt for fixtures that cover the entire spectrum, including blue and red wavelengths.   - Adjustable Intensity: Fixtures with adjustable intensity settings allow you to customize light levels based on the growth stage of your strawberries.   - Appropriate Wattage: Ensure that the LED fixtures have sufficient wattage to cover the area where your strawberries are growing. 6. Lighting Placement:   Proper placement of light sources is critical to ensuring even coverage. Hang or install LED fixtures at an optimal height, typically 12-18 inches above the strawberry plants, adjusting as the plants grow. This prevents light burn and promotes uniform growth. 7. Combining Natural and Artificial Light:   If cultivating strawberries indoors, consider combining natural sunlight with LED plant lights. Position your plants near south-facing windows and supplement with LED lights to enhance overall light quality. 8. Lighting Maintenance:   Regularly clean LED fixtures to prevent dust buildup, as this can reduce light intensity. Check for any damaged diodes and replace them promptly to maintain optimal lighting conditions. #ledgrowlight #ledinpro #verticalfarming #containerfarming #horticulturelight #leafygreen #strawberries #hydroponics #growlight

Back to Basics: LEDs Part 10: LED Thermals When it comes to LEDs, it's not just about the light they emit; it's about how they handle the heat! LEDs are sensitive beings; they don't bode well under excessive heat. Heat adversely affects their efficiency, light output, and overall longevity. If you've ever seen a decline in LED brightness over time, heat is the problem. Excessive temperatures can lead to a phenomenon known as "thermal runaway," where the LED's performance spirals out of control, shortening its lifespan and compromising its luminosity. LEDs generate heat primarily through the forward voltage across the semiconductor junction. Higher the current, more the heat produced. Heat output can be assumed to be around 80% of the input power given to the LEDs(rough estimate). Do note that forward voltage decreases as the junction temperature of an LED increases. Temperature increase can cause colour shifts in emitted light too. There will be a graph in the LED datasheet called the temperature derating graph, which plots LED current vs LED temperature. It gives a safe operating region for an LED for a given temperature. Always keep within its limits. So how do you keep your high-power LEDs cool? Heatsinks are the most common solution. They come in all shapes and sizes. Thermal heatsink design is simple but too long to explain here. Dave from EEVblog has a few videos on how you can do that, with thermal resistances from the heatsink's datasheet, to keep your LED junction temperature in check. A commonly overlooked aspect by newbies is LED thermal vias and connecting them to the large ground planes. Surprisingly, you can utilize PCBs, both Aluminium and FR4, as effective heatsinks, provided they are sufficiently large. For critical applications, consider integrating a PTC thermistor. Typically positioned near the LED at a test point, it actively measures real-time heat, enabling the regulation of driver current via feedback. This, in turn, acts as a safeguard against thermal runaway, ensuring the stability and long life of your LED system. #LEDs #Electronics #BacktoBasics #Technology #Circuits #Lighting #Heating