Illuminate My Mind

Lighting plays such an instrumental part in how our homes look.  The right lighting sets 

the atmosphere, allows us to define space and provides a backdrop on which we can 

create harmony with furniture, furnishings and accessories.

However lighting plays a much more pivotal role in our lives and mental health.

How many of us understand that not only is the right lighting vitally important to finish a 

perfectly designed space, but it also plays a crucial role in our emotional health and 

wellbeing?

I’m sure that most of us don’t put much thought into how light might be affecting our 

mood when we switch on the lights.  We spend a lot of our day in a closed room bathed 

in a combination of artificial and natural light.

If we start to be mindful of how we smile more on sunny days or how working at our desk 

with the desk lamp emitting a white light when turned on, makes us feel more creative, 

then we will be starting to understand how light affects our emotions.

Artificial light has presented man with numerous possibilities, it has also been the 

creator of confusion in our bodies.  Why do bright lights in offices work, but the same 

lighting in a pub or restaurant would make us turn on our heels?  The reason is of course 

that light intensity and colour has a direct link to our minds.  We experience both positive 

and negative emotions more intensely under differing light conditions.

There is much written in the press about the negative effects of blue light at bed time, 

how we should not sit in bed at night with our tablets or phones switched on.  The blue 

light they emit suppresses our body’s production of the sleep inducing hormone 

Melatonin, which can make it difficult for us to fall asleep.  Did we know however that 

when we are exposed to the same blue light during the day we feel more alert and 

energised?  So maybe a quick burst of blue light in the morning could be a beneficial 

thing.

Blue light is comprised of shortwave lengths which produce a high energy, this increases 

our productivity through enhanced cognitive function, and continues to do so for a period 

of up to 30 minutes after the blue light exposure ends.  We should intelligently design the 

use of blue light in spaces where the minds need to work at full speed and with increased 

concentrations, such as meeting rooms, offices, industrial kitchens and even factories.

The benefits of natural sunlight is widely known, its ability to generate Vitamin D for our 

bodies which can naturally decrease the symptoms of depression.  Of course light alone 

cannot cure depression but it is certainly useful in alleviating its symptoms.

But natural light has other benefits - studies show that exposure to sunlight makes us 

exercise more, sleep better and generally gives us an uplifted feeling of wellbeing.  In 

addition natural light enables us to maintain our natural circadian rhythms which 

subconsciously through the cycles of day and night, tell us when we should feel alert and 

energetic or when we should feel sleepy.  They are also linked to other rhythms of the 

human body such as digestion, temperature control and even cell renewal.  So windows 

and skylights which allow natural light to flood our living spaces during the day are of real 

value.

Light affects how much we eat, the speed at which we eat, the kinds of food we wish to 

eat and even our perception of flavour.

In general we eat slower and consume less food in restaurants with softer subdued 

lighting, however we should also note that we are potentially more likely to order more 

unhealthy food in darker toned restaurants.

The benefits of subdued lighting and darker tones however is that it naturally makes us 

less alert and more relaxed, so a better choice of lighting in a room where we want to 

relax and switch off having had a busy, energetic day lounges, living rooms and 

bedrooms.

Similarly brighter and stronger lights are recommended for the morning and during the 

day.  Opposite configurations may have negative effects on our emotions due to the 

conflicts with our natural circadian rhythms.

Our choice of lighting is of vital importance to our mental wellbeing, just choosing that 

lamp because it is quirky or will look good has to be intelligently integrated with what 

bulb should I use in it, do I need a dimmer switch? How am I going to use the lamp and 

when?

LED lighting provides a wonderful solution to this quandary, allowing us to adjust the 

lighting, in every room and every light source through the click of a button, or the swipe of 

a screen.  So let us begin to use light more intelligently, and adopt technology which can 

help us make decisions about the lighting we need.