How Lighting Affects Your Health

Did you know lighting can significantly affect your mood? It’s funny how something most people don’t pay that much attention to can affect you so drastically.

But why exactly does this happen? Why does it make any difference whatsoever? Carry on reading this article and you’ll find out.

Rock around the clock

clock on wall
Our body clocks revolve around light

The reason behind light affecting us is because our body clocks also known as our circadian rhythms revolve around them. Light tells us when to get up in the morning and when to go to sleep at night. Therefore, how much we get each day can be a huge influence on how we are physically and emotionally. Too much or not enough can be bad for you in the long run.

Mood killer or enhancer?

Brightness affects you more than you think

Bad lighting can have a huge impact on how well we sleep and there are several ways to improve your sleep. These can include: increase how much you’re exposed to bright light in the morning, keep lights warm and low in the evening perhaps through a dimmer switch and avoiding bright screens such as a mobile phone or computer screen at night before bed.

Bright lighting can make you more productive and practical and therefore should be used in a workplace to increase workflow.

The brightness of the lights can also affect how intense our emotions are, such as how bright lighting can. You may feel happier or sadder than you would otherwise feel due to bright lighting. If you want to feel calmer, then you are better off using warmer lighting to create a more relaxing atmosphere.

Light can help when you’re down

Light therapy is used for S.A.D.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) has long been treated using light therapy in the dark months to improve and often stop the depression. It wasn’t just their mood that improved but they were also more functional and could return to work or school. In one study it found 70% of participants after six weeks said they were no longer depressed. It has also been tested whether it can be used for depression and bipolar disorder.

If you feel sad even just going outside for just a short burst of around 15 minutes in the natural light can increase your happiness. Your exposure to light, dependant on levels can either make you happy and calm or without enough sad and negative.

Bright eyes

Try to relax your eyes away from screens

Of course, we all know it can also affect our eye sight and sometimes negatively by inducing eye strain which isn’t nice as it results in headaches and tired looking eyes. The best way to keep this from happening is keeping blue light exposure to a minimum especially if you are young, this can be achieved by using a blue light filter on a phone or computer. Along with using dimmable lights so they have a warmer light emitting from them, especially at night. Ironically though if you use dimmer lights too much it can have the same problem and cause eye problems.

You should strive to use bright lighting in the day time and warmer dimmer lighting at night for optimal outcomes.


the ocean looking moody

Lighting can affect us in many ways depending ultimately on how much exposure we get to it. I hope you find this article helpful and learned something new.

For all you’re lighting needs please come and visit us at our showroom at Lighting R Us, Unit 1a, Walton Works Industrial Estate, Macrome Rd, Aldersley, Wolverhampton, WV6 9HD or buy online at

Read the companion piece How Lighting Affects Purchase Behaviour here.

Leave a Reply