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 [...]
Exposure to natural light is a critical ingredient for a good night’s sleep - but most people don't understand that we need BOTH bright light during the day, AND biological 'darkness' to sleep well at night. Blue light and sleep are fundamentally tied together - our bodies depend [...]
Humans, plants and animals have internal clocks which are synchronized by the daily cycle of light and dark. In October 2017 the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three researchers for their work on the underlying mechanisms which govern the internal clock of living organisms. Sir Paul [...]
Natural light is fundamentally different than the artificial light sources which we use in our homes, offices and schools. (1) Natural light is full spectrum, which means it contains all the colors of the rainbow, as well as wavelengths (colors) that we cannot see (infra-red and ultra violet). [...]
The August 2017 solar eclipse offered an incredible opportunity to witness how natural light colors our world. For those outside the path of totality the eclipse was almost imperceptible as our eyes automatically adjust for the changing intensity of the sun = 5% of the sun is still [...]
Our bodies rely on the daily cycle of natural light from bright and blue during the day to soft and warm in the evenings (and then darkness) to synchronize our circadian rhythms, and thereby regulate our health and wellness. Insufficient light during the day leaves us feeling [...]
