Natural light changes colour throughout the day, from a morning sunrise glow, to a bright midday sun, then to a rich warm sunset. The human biological clock is closely tied to the day/night cycle of the Earth. This cycle is known as circadian rhythm.
Circadian rhythm is pivotal for our body’s release of various hormones including melatonin that regulates sleep, and cortisol for healing. We know that light has a significant influence on the human biological clock and our health. As much as technology can benefit us, it can also disrupt our natural biological clock. We often have too little of the right type of light during the day, and too much of the wrong type of light at night. Exposure to televisions, LED lights, computer screens, and mobile devices that emit blue (cool) light at night can disrupt our biological clock, delaying the natural sleep pattern. Disruption of these natural rhythms has been associated with an increased risk for a cardiovascular event, obesity, diabetes, neurological problems such as depression, and even some forms of cancer.
We all know how spending a day outdoors can help reduce stress. Though we may not be able to consistently get outdoors in busy day to day life. however a human centric lighting system can be designed to support the cycle of the circadian system by providing varying degrees of circadian stimulus. Researchers have repeatedly shown the bright white light has the power to mitigate depression and improve overall mental state. Alternatively, warmer light signals to the brain to produce melatonin, which leads to a peaceful sleep and lowers anxiety. The effect of light has even been identified by The World health Organisation, who decreed that shift work is a increased risk factor for breast cancer, due to the circadian desynchronisation cause by unbalanced sleep patterns.
By using LED technology it’s now possible to manipulate artificial light. When we require higher levels of concentration and alertness, we can adjust the colour temperature to provide a cool light. When we want to relax or create a calmer environment, we can adjust the colour temperature to provide a warmer light. Lighting and control technologies have evolved to provide better user experiences. With careful consideration and expert consultation, light can be more organic and integrate better in our homes to provide greater levels of comfort. Such technology includes LED colour changing tape and more recently colour temperature changing technology has been integrated within downlights. With this technology it is possible to switch between warm white (2000-3000 Kelvins), Cool white (3100-4500 kelvins) and even natural daylight (4600-6500 kelvins). The option to also dim the level of light is another feature of the technology. The ability to reproduce the colours of objects faithfully in comparison to natural light is crucial to producing a human centric lighting system and this is exactly what the said technology can provide.
