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Most of us know that scrolling before bed disturbs our sleep and that a SAD lamp may lift our spirits in winter. But, far beyond our wake\/sleep cycle, our circadian rhythm \u2014 or internal body clock \u2014 governs everything from hormone release and temperature regulation to digestion, gut bacteria and immune response.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s becoming clear that the lights we live under may be upsetting the balance. In the past couple of decades, we\u2019ve switched from incandescent halogen lighting to energy-saving LEDs. A report by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee published in 2023 cites artificial lighting as a \u201chidden pollutant\u201d and identifies the invisible LED \u201cflicker\u201d as an issue for many people \u2014 it overstimulates our brains. Plus, LEDs are primarily made from blue light, which affects our circadian rhythm. \u201cJust because we can invade the night, doesn\u2019t mean we should,\u201d says Russell Foster, professor of circadian neuroscience and the head of department of ophthalmology at Oxford.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the 1800s, most of us lived by natural light. Now we\u2019ve become cave dwellers again\u201d<\/p>\n
Forward-thinking lighting brand, Ray, may hold the key, pioneering \u201chuman-centric\u201d lighting in the UK. Ray\u2019s circadian-friendly lighting systems eliminate \u201cthe flicker factor\u201d and are built around horticultural-standard LED chips, minimising blue light and making them the closest bulbs to sunlight on the market. \u201cIf the plants think it\u2019s the Sun, it must be good for us too,\u201d says co-founder Simon McCune.<\/p>\n
Foster agrees \u2014 \u201cthe default should be to make them [bulbs] as close to sunlight as possible,\u201d he says. \u201cIn the 1800s, some 95 per cent of the population lived \u2014 to a large extent \u2014 outside, or by natural light. And within 250 years or so, we\u2019ve become cave dwellers again.\u201d The simple fix, both McCune and Foster agree, is to get outside. \u201cIt is dawn and dusk detection that is so important for photo-entrainment,\u201d says Foster, referring to the process which syncs our biological clock by detecting the changing light through the day.<\/p>\n
Download a lux meter app (lux is the measurement for illuminance), on to your phone and you\u2019ll quickly see the huge difference between light rays outside, which are well over 10,000, even in the shade, and inside \u2014 next to a window is about 4,000 while a well-lit room in the daytime is about 1,000.<\/p>\n
For an inside-dwelling generation, then, lighting is vital. Interior experts have long understood its power in a visual sense \u2014 that warm feeling when you walk into a space with \u201cgood lighting\u201d. But, as Alice B Davies, co-founder of online interiors destination Salon, explains, \u201cthe importance of lighting goes far beyond the visual \u2014 it\u2019s a biological and physiological imperative. Alongside designing spaces which maximise natural light \u2014 vital for our circadian rhythm and overall wellbeing \u2014 I work closely with lighting designer Simone Adler to prioritise biological lighting, installing the right bulbs, balancing lighting in a space, brightening for morning, dimming for evening, bulb colour \u2014 every detail.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is where Ray comes in. \u201cWe make full colour spectrum lighting,\u201d says McCune. \u201cIt means you see things as they should be seen under sunlight.\u201d This is measured in CRI \u2014 colour resolution index. Halogen bulbs are 100, the LED standard is about 80 \u2014 Ray\u2019s bulbs are 98. The company has also eliminated that troublesome flicker.<\/p>\n
For something so foundational, the research into light is surprisingly minimal. \u201cScientists are only beginning to scratch the surface,\u201d says Foster. . There is a complex blend of rays in sunshine that we haven\u2019t come close to replicating artificially \u2014 nature still does it best. Georgina Lucas<\/p>\n
Ray lighting is available at the-salon.com, from \u00a311.95<\/p>\n
Manchester United agree double deal as two medicals booked<\/p>\n
Man Utd agree double deal as two medicals booked<\/p>\n