Mr. C. Ticleanu recently published an interesting overview article about the research of the impacts of home lighting on human health. A combination of bright light and night-time darkness is essential for our circadian rhythm and maintenance of a regular daily sleep-wake cycle. Home lighting is mainly developed for our vision, to enable safe movement between spaces, a sense of aesthetics and energy efficiency but how it affects our health has not received similar consideration.
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His conclusions are in line with the Good Light Guide which has recently been published by our Group. Some of his recommendations to maximise health benefits are:
Spend as much time outdoors as possible.
When indoors, occupy rooms that have outside views and receive daylight.
When necessary, supplement insufficient daylight with electric lighting to achieve adequate light levels on the task areas and at the eyes.
When using electric lighting, ensure it is brighter and has a cooler white colour appearance from mid-morning until early afternoon, towards the end of the day dim it down and set it to warmer white colour.
After sunset do not use blue or near blue colours.
Reduce the use of display screen equipment after sunset.
At bedtime, switch off all light sources and close blinds to avoid any light ingress from outside.
C. Ticleanu worked ten years in lighting design and research. Now he leads the Lighting Fundamentals module at The Barlett and works as a Principal Consultant in Lighting for BRE, where he leads and undertakes consultancy and research projects for public and private sector customers into all aspects of electric lighting and daylighting.
His areas of expertise include: energy efficient lighting; lighting impacts on well-being and performance; lighting surveys and optimisation; POE studies; light pollution; computer modelling of daylight and electric light; and delivering presentations and training on lighting.