Let’s talk lighting: 5 way to increase productivity and health
Light is important. It’s one of the planet’s most important energy sources, affects health and stimulates oxygen production. Plus, many studies show that performance and productivity can increase with the quality of light.
So why do so many of us have terrible lighting setups at home? Too bright, too dark, wrong colour, too close. We need to prioritise how we illuminate our workspaces, and we’re here to give you the know-how for creating the optimally lit environment.
Seek sunlight
Natural light is essential for our body. Vitamin D deficiency and SAD (seasonal affective disorder) are big problems in the winter, especially for those living in northern climates. Those affected can suffer from a low mood, lack of motivation and increased anxiety.
Daylight is vital to our health, both physical and mental, so do as much as possible to soak up the light, for instance, take walks outside during your breaks (especially when it’s sunny!).
The lighting sweet spot
Ideally, we’d simply use natural light to illuminate our homes, but this isn’t a reliable option. The next best thing is to cleverly mix natural light with the right artificial light, this creates both an ergonomic and comfortable working environment.
Try and position your workspace close to a window to ensure maximum daylight exposure, and then add individual task lighting (aka, a light specifically dedicated to the task at hand, in this case, a desk lamp) to the room’s ambient lighting. This mix will help create a more natural-lighting atmosphere.
Don’t dazzle yourself
Of course, adding the wrong artificial lighting won’t help you create the right environment, so let’s talk about illuminance values!
Adequate desk lighting requires a minimum illuminance value of 500 lux, but we’d suggest you went a little brighter, somewhere between 750 and 1500 lux. Ideally, your lamp has a few brightness settings so you can adjust it through the day.
Creating atmosphere with colour
It isn’t as simple as light or no light. It comes in many colours and this affects the mood of a room. For instance, warm white light creates a more homely atmosphere while bright white light a more business-like atmosphere.
Blue and white light energises us by suppressing melatonin levels, which also means that exposure near bedtime can interrupt sleep patterns. Our brains cells tend to be the most sensitive to blue wavelengths, and there’s evidence that this blue light has an impact on the circadian rhythms of blind people, so use with care!
Red and amber light should be used in the evening, as it helps increase the secretion of melatonin (leading to a better night’s sleep, and thus improved cognition and overall mental wellbeing).
We recommend getting a LED light bulb with a colour temperature adjustment of 2700K or 3200K for your desk lamp, to help keep things more natural.
Avoid eye strain
Whatever you do, don’t work in the darkness, as it causes our pupils to expand and strain. Trust us, your desk lamp should be your home office best friend! Just make sure you position it in front of you, to ensure there are no shadows on your face or the screen, or created by your hands.
Similarly, try to limit direct and reflected glare on the screen or through nearby windows, as this also does damage to your eyes. There are lots of screen overlays and sun protection devices that can be fitted to windows to limit the effects of glare.