Can your home lighting affect your mood?
In the same way that a sun-filled sky puts you in a much better mindset than a gloomy, overcast day does, the way you light your home also affects your mood. Whether it's soft warm, bright white or shortwave blue, ceiling lighting plays a huge part in wellbeing, emotion and ambience as well as affecting sleep patterns and energy levels. For most people, being inside requires interior lighting and there are lots of solutions that can help lift your mood, increase your energy and settle you down for the night.
The science behind the theory
Most interior spaces are made up of natural and artificial light. Our response to natural light is known as our circadian rhythm. This is our body's 24-hour internal clock which helps us sleep, wake, feel refreshed and function in positive ways. When this is compromised, our mood can change for the worse. That's often why on gloomier days we feel more lethargic and on sunnier days our mood is lifted. Modern living means we spend a lot of time under artificial lighting. The good news is that there's a host of lighting options to encourage a healthy circadian rhythm, warding off depression, sleep deprivation and low energy levels. Read on to discover the best lighting solutions for positive mood-boosting energy and a relaxing nighttime frame of mind.
Lighting the living room
A clever mixture of lighting that mimics the cycle of natural daylight is ideal for the living room. Brighter, stronger lights are perfect for the mornings and utilising a dimmer switch system means their strength can be reduced come late afternoon. Choose warm, bright lights for the living room as they have a positive impact on mood and feel both welcoming and relaxing. This is the place where you gather with friends and family, so warm lighting is ideal for a cosy ambience. Use a principal light in unison with natural daylight coming from the windows and then add task lighting for reading nooks.
Lighting the kitchen
Cool white lights have an energising effect on mood and work really well in kitchen and dining areas as well as open-plan living spaces. The colour temperature of lights is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). Lighting above 5000K is bright and white and therefore both stimulating and productive for when you are cooking, cleaning and entertaining. The lighting here can also be layered for a more atmospheric space come evening. Bathroom recess lighting and adjustable spotlights will create different moods and a row of bright white pendant lights used over a kitchen island will give you highly productive task lighting.
Lighting the bedroom
A mixture of warm, low-level lighting and warm bright lighting is ideal for the bedroom. Warm bright lights encourage energy when you wake and low-level lights will help you wind down in a cosy, intimate space before drifting off to sleep. The circadian rhythm responds much better to low-level lighting at dusk in a similar way to how we have the moon outside to tell us it's night time.
Lighting the office
Clever lighting tricks in the office will keep you alert and productive throughout the day. Here you can use cool blue lighting to up your concentration levels. The key thing to remember with blue lighting is that it acts as a stimulant. So while it can keep you super-focused when working, you don't want to be exposed to blue light before going to bed.
