Smart lighting with its colour-changing capabilities of the bulbs can be programmed system to switch to a warmer colour at a certain time of day to imitate sunset.
During the late hours of the night when the person is to head to bed, it can be programmed to shut off fixtures gradually from the room that the person is in and warmer colours of light encourage melatonin production. This is a more practical approach compared to the use of melatonin supplements and a safer method compared to blocking blue light from all sources with the use of blue light-blocking glasses.
With consideration of knowing that consumers rely much on smart devices and it is rare that a person forgets to turn off lights when leaving the room, smart lighting with its controllability factors can substantially save electricity cost of the person.
Duration in which the light shut off can be programmed with motion sensors and daylight availability at the window can be detected for automatic control of shading systems.
Artificial light has drastically increased sensory perception within the realms of the visual and indeed allowed productivity through times when natural light is not available. Electricity has brought artificial lighting to a stage where its variation and influence on psychology and cognition can be manipulated to benefit the human user. Smart lighting is the beginning of this change to a clearer understanding of what factors of light influence us the most.
However, the drawbacks of light therapy are that exposure to light must be at a consistent and bright level for a specified amount of time, usually every morning, and this can be very difficult to achieve if the individual is to be away from home during this period.
Smart lighting systems can mimic the necessary light therapy conditions by programming specific color temperatures and intensity of white light at certain times and duration of the day, to help those with depression in a convenient and often unnoticed way.
Smart lighting technology also extends to being able to control the aforementioned conditions of light through the use of internet controllable devices and mobile apps, eliminating the need to be in a certain room or area to receive light therapy.
Lighting that imitates natural light promotes a healthy circadian rhythm; our 24-hour biological cycle of sleep and wake pattern. Two major types of receptors in the human eye that help regulate the body’s internal clock are those that are sensitive to blue light and those that are sensitive to blue light.
Duration of exposure to brighter blue light during the day can make us more alert and the blue light at night shift work etc. inhibits the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. This may induce sleep disorders in some people.
Elderly people with poor vision may have disturbed sleep-wake cycles and are likely to experience sundowning; a state of confusion and restlessness occurring in some elderly people with dementia, mainly in the late afternoon or early evening. These symptoms result in a nocturnal pattern of restlessness and sleeplessness and light therapy is an effective treatment for sundowning and normalising the sleep-wake cycle.
In terms of the psychological effects of lighting, lighting can influence our emotions. People may have adherence to certain types of lighting based on their mood. If it is dim lighting, it is usually a relaxed mood.
Bright lighting may be a happy or active mood. Imagine coming home from a tiresome day from work and the house is brightly lit. This can be discomforting. Smart lighting systems can be programmed with fixtures that manipulate bulb intensity to imitate natural lighting and the systems are controllable with smart devices. Light intensity and colour temperature are major aspects of the biological effects of lighting on a person.
These smart bulbs can be programmed to change colour temperatures throughout the day, which can help with better sleep, enhanced productivity, and improved mood by mimicking natural light cycles. Remember to check for compatibility with your existing smart home systems and personal preferences for optimal health benefits.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance
Philips Hue lights are unique in that they can produce a wide range of colors which have been shown to affect specific areas of mood regulation in the brain.
– The bulbs can be scheduled to change to the optimum shade and brightness of light to help facilitate the body’s production of melatonin at the right time of day. This can be especially useful for those who cannot spend much time outdoors during daylight.
– Whether awakening, reading, concentrating, watching TV or spending time with the family, Hue products can help consumers to do more, create the right atmosphere and enhance well-being. This is achieved by fine-tuning light for specific tasks or forms of relaxation throughout the day.
– Consumers with insomnia have also reported great benefits in using the Hue lights to produce a warm, low-level light in the evening up to an hour before bed in order to simulate the natural decrease in light at dusk. Hue lights can further help insomniacs by being programmed to change into the darkest red tones at night which have been shown to produce melatonin.
– The uplight and downlight from Hue go even further in simulating nature by using the colour and brightness of white and blue tones of daylight to produce a sky on the ceiling. This has been shown to help those who suffer symptoms of SAD in winter, as well as providing a calming and ‘outdoorsy’ atmosphere for any family activity at any other time of the year.
There is now a way to enhance mental exercises to improve sleep, and it is through the use of light, which is great for mental health practitioners who already know cognitive-behavioural therapy.
Imagine awakening refreshed to bright morning sunlight. As evening approaches, light fades, and your body readies for sleep. You feel alert during the day and sleep soundly at night.
Now, imagine a typical morning: it’s difficult to get out of bed, and you’re feeling drowsy. At work, you have difficulty concentrating, and you feel down. You fall asleep in front of the TV and can’t sleep soundly through the night. T
These scenarios illustrate the importance of zeitgebers, or time cues, and their effect on sleep. Patterned, intense light can positively affect your sleep and overall mood. Light therapy can be useful to improve the sleep and mood of those with non-seasonal insomnia as well.
Sleep onset insomnia can be improved by using light to guide the body to a regular sleep pattern. Post-insomniacs, or those who have regained the ability to sleep well, can use light to help them wake feeling more refreshed and improve alertness in the morning and throughout the day.
Light therapy can also help those with geriatric sleep disorders shift their bed and wake times, increase the amount of sleep obtained, and improve its quality.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance 4 Pack A19 75W Smart LED Starter Kit Check Price
Sengled Light Bulb, 1050 Lumens WiFi Bulb, Smart Color Changing Light Bulb
Sengled light bulb is a type of light bulb designed to lower the amount of blue light to which users are exposed. This is done via the wave seed chip embedded within the light bulb, which can adjust the blue light content. The wave seed chip is a type of integrated circuit that is used to both process and store.
Sengled light bulbs stand to benefit your health, how the bulbs achieve this, and why this new technology is a good investment for a wide variety of people. The effects Sengled light bulbs have on vitamin D production and sleep cycles (both of which have an extensive correlation to overall health).
Long-term effects on overall health are debatable, seeing as this technology is relatively new. Still, there is a lot of evidence which suggests Sengled bulbs stand to make a significant improvement for many different people.
As the future lives of humans will likely involve more time spent indoors and less exposure to natural light, the technology of light bulbs and their effects on health will be of growing concern.
Sengled Light Bulb, 1050 Lumens WiFi Bulb, Smart Color Changing Light Bulb Check Price
WiZ LED Smart bulbs
By getting the WiZ LED Smart Bulbs, you’ll make your home smart and optimized by controlling your lights. Bring your home to life with the most connected light in the world: the Philips Hue (WiZ) LED smart bulb.
WiZ bulbs connect to Wi-Fi straight out of the box and allow for full control, automated, and scheduled lighting, and fun features in single or multi-bulb homes.
With only one touch, create a new kind of living experience. Never come home to a dark house. Synchronize your lights with movies or music to create an immersive experience. Commemorate a special day or easily set schedules with the most advanced and most intuitive app.
WiZ brings light to your home that you can control in numerous ways. Schedule your light to steam up your day with natural light or wind down into the night. With full control, you’ll change tune to cooler light during the day to increase focus and motivation.
Warm up the colour temperature at night to relieve stress and pain. Create wake-up schedules providing a comfortable and fresh awakening. Personalise your lights to your favourite colour shades and save each setting to match your daily routines.
Create an experience lighting scenes to reflect different moods. With an unlimited amount of options, WiZ is designed to simplify and optimize your daily living experience without any compromise.
WiZ LED Smart Wi-Fi Connected 60-Watt A19 Color & Tunable White Light Bulb, Dimmable, 2-Pack Check Price
Bulbrite Solana Smart LED G25
Lighting is one of the most important elements in your home. When it comes to saving energy and reducing your carbon footprint, Bulbrite’s Solana Smart LED light bulb ensures you will no longer have to sacrifice the quality of lighting in your home to do so.
With the G25 being the most used and popular light bulb for vanities, the Solana Smart LED G25 perfectly suits the application. The traditional LED G25s are often too harsh and cool in colour, which is undesirable for a vanity setting.
The Solana Smart LED G25 has an adjustable colour temperature from 2700K to 6500K. It can provide a soft, white light while getting ready in the morning and a bright, natural light for applying makeup and other grooming activities.
Tunable bulbs can provide the perfect natural light for any time of day (morning, afternoon, evening, etc.) with the ability to adjust the colour temperature. Solana will save valuable energy compared to traditional incandescent and compact fluorescent bulbs while maintaining the highest quality and near-incandescent light.
By using the free Solana App, you can control your lights straight from your phone, creating ‘lighting scenes’ for any occasion, and configuring custom schedules providing you with the perfect light at any point.
Coming soon, Solana will have the ability to sync your lights to sunrise and sunset times, giving you the perfect light all day with no adjustments necessary. Gone are the days of you and your kids having to get up and turn off lights. Scheduling your lights to turn off automatically at fixed times with the ability to adjust based on the day of the week will ensure valuable energy is never wasted.
Grouping multiple bulbs will allow you to control them simultaneously, and with upcoming integration into popular smart home systems, Solana will be the perfect addition to any smart home.
You can select different kinds of white for different lighting occasions. Warm white creates an inviting and personal space, making it perfect for any place in your house. Daylight white is the perfect choice for reading or working. And cool white is the best match for clothes sorting and makeup.
The colour-changing feature allows you to colour different colours, which is a colour-changing selection for any indoor lighting occasion such as a table lamp, cafe, kitchen, living room, or restaurant. It is also widely used in commercial products.
The smart bulb primarily supports and controls your system with an app on your smartphone or tablet, and controls your system with your voice through its compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Home Assistant. It is a Wi-Fi-connected LED lighting system.
No hub, remote, gateway, or bridge is needed to start, just connect to your home 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. You can control your bulb wherever and whenever you are. The whole family can control your smart bulb, and you can also share one or more bulbs with them. It creates more convenience in your life.
Bulbrite Solana Smart LED G25 60W Equivalent Tunable WIFI Light Bulb, Milky, 2PK – 2200K-6500K Check Price
Verilux HappyLight Touch – UV-Free LED Therapy Lamp
In independent tests, the Verilux HappyLight Touch Light Therapy Lamp with adjustable colour and brightness control put out 10,000 lux at 10″ and 5500 lux at 18″ at 233 lumens. This is a very powerful output. Make sure to consult your physician to find out the best light therapy product for you.
Light therapy is a great solution to the fatigue and depression that often hits in the winter due to limited sunlight, at a cost much lower than medications or other treatments. Light therapy also tends to have a very low side effect profile, but is not recommended for those with bipolar disorder.
When light hits the retina of your eye, it causes a neural pathway which directly affects the mood in your mind. Light has been proven to boost mood and energy by stimulating the body’s natural daylight effects, and Verilux Happy Light Touch is the most potent mood lamp Verilux manufactures, with results that are often felt in a matter of days.
Patented technology makes it possible to put 10,000 lux wide-spectrum light into a small, compact package. This is the perfect mood light to use in light therapy light box treatment and is so easy to take with you anywhere.
Verilux HappyLight Touch – UV-Free LED Therapy Lamp, Bright White Light with 10,000 Lux, Adjustable Brightness and Color Check Price
Conclusion
Artificial lighting has replaced natural light as the dominant light source and has been the subject of numerous studies regarding health impacts. It is also an aspect that can be easily controlled. Smart lighting systems are an emerging technology that offers a new way to create and control artificial lighting.
These systems have favourable implications in terms of providing lighting that supports health, by facilitating the provision of light at the right place and time.
This is in contrast to most artificial lighting, which usually provides a fixed and often inappropriate light level, and few means to control the timing of light exposure relative to people’s activities.
Smart lighting systems generally consist of an array of controllable light sources in the form of lamps or luminaires and a means of automatically or remotely controlling light output; this may be by employing a schedule, or in direct response to sensors or other environmental changes.
Lighting is an essential aspect of life. It affects everyone, everywhere. Light influences spending or wakefulness, mood, and possible seasonal affective disorders.
It is not only crucial in functions such as vision or creativity but also affects hormone regulation, including the production of serotonin. For instance, problems in the modern workplace such as insufficient exposure to daylight, and people spending a large amount of time indoors, can adversely affect circadian cycles and therefore may have a profound impact on health and well-being.
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“Why don’t smart lights ever get lost? Because they can always find the switch to light up the way!”
Credit: SmartDelight