Circadian Lighting: How It Can Improve Employee Well Beings

Circadian lighting is the concept that electric light can be used to support human health by minimizing the effect of electric light on the human circadian rhythm. Scientists have discovered that long-term exposure to certain wavelengths of blue light at a specific intensity can have a negative impact on melatonin production (Harvard Health Letter). These lights strive to counteract the negative effects of the light produced. They act according to the sun. This indicates that the circadian lights will be brighter at the moment that the sun is highest in the sky.

The lights imitate day and night with blue lights released during the day and controlled during the night. The tropical, blue lights are cut off from the tropical lights as the Sun starts to set. The intensity of bright light at noon will trigger sleep disruption and panic when the mind struggles to inform the body that when the sun has gone down, it is time to sleep.

Why are Circadian Lights Important in an Office?

Circadian lighting helps in minimizing problems employees face when it comes to the sleep cycle by making the brain realize that when the lights are dark, it's time to relax. Moreover, this form of illumination controls the natural circadian cycle more efficiently when used regularly (Biggs, 2019).

A 24-hour cycle is a circadian pattern. The illumination they feel all day long will impact their sleep cycle. Much when you like dim light in the night to sleep, the right daylight will mean that it's time to be wakeful. In fact , studies have shown that the blue light produced by circadian lights can improve efficiency and alertness at work.

How does Circadian Lighting work, you might ask?

Circadian lamps use the technology of blue light monitoring. Blue lights are available in gadgets such as mobile phones and laptops and are kept excessively busy in the night when people use them.

By amplifying and controlling them throughout the day, circadian lights make effective use of this technology. These signals alert the brain that effective time is now. This is extremely helpful at a time where blue lights are continuously released from electronics. These circadian lights remind the brain of relief.

Because contrasting blue lights in our brains can too easily be misunderstood now, circadian illumination can help to relax the body at the end. You don't just emit blue light, you control it. This management will contribute to improved memory and balancing mood. This is because these lights are closely connected to the standard of sleep, which improves the memory and other behavioral procedures in turn.

The Circadian lighting system will become a lighting design standard going forward. A Singapore lighting designer by the name of Toh Ya Li quoted on a 2019 article that fits perfectly to what circadian lighting is about; “ the current trend is circadian lighting for interiors because we have more information now on its impact on the quality of life and how it affects even animals and plants” (Toh Ya Li, The Peak Magazine, 2019).

Sources

Toh Yah Li Lights Up Spaces And Minds In Singapore And Abroad | The Peak Singapore - Your Guide To The Finer Things In Life". The Peak Singapore - Your Guide To The Finer Things In Life, 2019, https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/interviews/toh-yah-li-light-collab-lighting/?slide=1-TOH-YAH-LI-Principal--Light-Collab. Accessed 30 Sept 2020.
Biggs, Josh. "Circadian Lighting In The Workplace: Implementation & Benefits". Meldium, 2019, https://www.meldium.com/circadian-lighting-in-the-workplace-implementation-benefits/. Accessed 1 Oct 2020.
Publishing, Harvard. "Blue Light Has A Dark Side - Harvard Health". Harvard Health, 2012, https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side. Accessed 2 Oct 2020.