Have you ever been walking the aisles of a Supermarket or Big Box store, maybe you had a little trouble finding a few things and ended up in there a little longer than you anticipated. Then, all of a sudden, you feel so agitated and uncomfortable that every passing minute seems to make you feel worse? There’s definitely a time limit to those stores or at least an awareness when we’ve entered the penalty time and need to get out of there ASAP. There is certainly no shortage of bothersome elements in those stores, despite their convenience, but one of the main culprits for that fatigued, annoyed feeling you get is the lighting. It’s very apparent how artificial the lighting in those places is.
While LED lights are able to mimic the sun, it can help boost your overall alertness and cognitive performance levels, which is exactly the sun do to your body. (Photo Courtesy of Lighting Science)
Any time we spend large amounts of time cooped up indoors, it’s certainly nice to step outside for a little sunlight. I think most of us would agree, during the daytime hours, natural lighting is good and most unnatural light is not so much.
Yet most businesses don’t take these lighting factors into account when creating workspaces. Fewer are probably aware of the profound effects it can have on not only people’s moods, but also their energy and focus levels.
It doesn’t have to be this way; we don’t have to suffer bad lighting at work. There are things that can be done!
Natural Lighting
Artificial lighting can cause drops in cortisol, which can make you feel worse or more stressed. Whereas artificial lighting can have negative effects on employees, several studies have found that natural light can increase alertness and cognitive performance levels. According to Health Environments Research and Design Journal, over a three-year period at a hospital they experienced 22% lower probability of errors in the ward with windows.
Blasting holes in the walls and roof of their building to install more windows is maybe not an option for most business, but natural light can actually be mimicked by LED lighting. Most lights emit blue light waves, like the sun, and elicit the secretion of mood elevator serotonin, which triggers our bodies to wake up and get ready for work. LED’s like our Awake bulb, take it a step further by emitting a nice, stimulating blue spectrum to boost your body’s natural alertness even further.
Consistent Uniformity and Distribution
Evenness of illumination lighting can mean the difference between visual comfort and distractions and confusion. Uneven illumination throws annoying patterns of light and shadows across everything it touches, causing your eyes to make involuntary adjustments for the different levels. This heavy workload creates undue stress that, ultimately, results in mind-numbing fatigue and poor production.
There are many ways you can set up lighting to achieve nice uniformity, but a great start is to switch to LEDs. LEDs are higher quality, emit more consistent light and, most importantly, maintain their light levels 90% longer.
Eliminating Shadows and Glare
When people are looking at screens that are reflective, the type of lights can be just as important as where you point them. Lighting should be covered by a lamp shade, pointed directly down or bounced off of a wall, so it is not floating aimlessly or making direct contact with anyone’s eyes. Mixing and matching different types of LEDs allows you to control the direction, distribution and glare level. Adding specific lights to provide direct lighting for tasks, accent and ambient lighting creates light layers that reduce shadows and fashion an atmosphere that is less stressful on the eyes.
Companies are constantly looking for ways to improve morale and increase productivity. Join us in eliminating harsh, mood swinging lights from the workplace.
