Fires are ravaging the west, with tragic consequences from Seattle to SoCal to Colorado. Those of us not directly in harms way are dealing with smoke and ash, horrendous air quality and a dystopian red-orange glow. Smoke changes both the amount of light and the color (or [...]
With shelter in place, most of us are spending more time indoors than ever, doing our part to ‘flatten the curve’. In addition to the social isolation, and the anxiety, staying indoors further disconnects us from the biorhythms which regulate our mood, sleep and overall well-being. We [...]
Flicker is common characteristic of most artificial (man-made) light sources, and another way that artificial light is different than natural light (which has no flicker). Flicker is due to the way light sources are powered and depends upon the type of ‘lamp’ as well as the electronics [...]
For those of us who struggle with sleep, lying awake at night is one of our darkest times. My mind races: why can’t I sleep, how will I function tomorrow … making an already miserable experience worse. Physicians and care providers recommend changing your circumstances when you can’t [...]
The majority of migraine sufferers experience pain and discomfort when exposed to light during an attack, which doctors refer to as migraine photophobia. Studies show that fluorescent lights, LEDs, computer screens and even sunlight, can increase both the intensity and spread of headache pain. During a migraine attack, [...]
It’s no accident that we feel better on a bright sunny day = exposure to sunlight is correlated to our Serotonin levels [Lancet Article]! Increasing our exposure to sunlight (and/or bright light) during the day is a natural drug-free way to increase our serotonin levels, and improve our [...]
Awareness of the health impacts of blue light is growing, but as a quick Google search shows there is still a lot of confusion. To cut to the chase = exposure to blue light during the day is GOOD while exposure to blue light at night is BAD. [...]
Philips deserves a lot of credit for their Philips Hue = educating the world that light is about more than on/off/dim. While the Philips Hue is the leading color-changing ‘smart bulb’, it is optimized for entertainment and not for delivering the benefits of natural light. The Hue is [...]
To learn more about the differences between natural and artificial light, check out the side-by-side comparisons below! As a scientist i'm always curious about our natural world. I carry around a spectrometer which allows me to 'see' the mix of colors and intensities in light (much like a [...]
We need light to feel energized and happy. Our mood and energy depend upon getting sufficient bright light during the day to signal ‘awake and alert’. Without this signal, our bodies can’t clearly distinguish between night and day, and don’t provide the energy and hormones we need to [...]
