Natural Lighting Brings You Better Sleep & Focus
Enhance Your Daily Routines With Human-Centric Lighting from Lutron Ketra
Many of our clients in New Orleans think of lighting as a binary choice. With most homes designed with nothing more than on/off switches, it’s hard to blame them. Yet this binary approach to lighting doesn’t acknowledge its power. Light is a powerful biological trigger that dictates how we feel. This static approach leaves you with either harsh, cool hues or warm light all day.
This one-tone lighting clashes with your body’s internal clock, used to the natural transition of sunlight from cool to warm. It’s one of the many reasons people struggle with sluggish mornings and sleepless nights. At Campo Better Living, we install tunable LEDs from Lutron Ketra that mimic the sun’s progression to better align your interiors with your natural circadian rhythm. You’ll reclaim your energy, focus, and long-term health. It’s the key to better wellness.
SEE ALSO: Change Your Lights for Every Season With Home Lighting Automation
How Does Human-Centric Lighting Work?
First, you need to understand your circadian rhythm. It’s the internal 24-hour clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle via hormones such as cortisol and melatonin. While there are other factors, light is one of the primary triggers of these hormones. Your eyes have receptors communicating directly with the brain’s master clock to tell it if it needs to be alert or relax.
It’s the light's color temperature that tells your brain which to do. For example, blue-toned light like that in most of our smart devices is great at boosting alertness. That’s not inherently a bad thing. But no one should be alert 24/7. Our brains and bodies need breaks. For optimal health, you’d want those lights to wind down after sunset.
So, what can you do to improve your wellness aside from putting down the smartphone? Human-centric lighting design uses tunable LEDs to naturally change your home’s lighting from bright blue to soft golden by the end of the day.
Waking Up Refreshed Every Morning
One way we recommend using human-centric lighting is to help you wake up in the morning. Schedule this scene to happen automatically when it’s time to get up. Lights gradually brighten from a warm amber to a crisp, cool white to mimic a natural sunrise. As the light shifts, it begins suppressing melatonin, helping you ease out of your deep sleep. Once you’re at a cool, white, we recommend keeping it there for your home office or kitchen as it’ll improve alertness and focus.
Winding Down At the End of the Day
It can be hard after a long day to get your body to settle down and relax. Have your home help you out with an Evening scene that shifts your Ketra fixtures to soft, warm ambers as the sun sets over the Mississippi. By removing blue light wavelengths in the evening, you now do the opposite of your morning scene: you begin producing melatonin. Having this scene at a regular time each day will help you create a more consistent bedtime routine.
Human-centric lighting is a pillar of a healthy home. We look forward to helping you design a home that supports your well-being. To learn more about our lighting services or schedule a demo of Ketra lighting in our showroom, call or fill out our contact form.
