SEE ALSO: Why Residential Lighting Control Makes Sense for Your Projects
Do We Need Human-Centric Lighting?
Science tells us our bodies respond to the natural stimuli of light. Clearly, we sleep at night when it's dark. We also have an internal clock of sorts referred to as the circadian rhythm, and our bodies respond to different types of light during the day. Bright, intense, cooler-toned light, like that of the noonday sun, tends to awaken and energize us. Warmer, amber, and red tones, like those of the setting sun, signal our bodies to wind down and prepare us for sleep.
The wrong light can throw off our natural rhythms. Imagine if you were subjected to bright fluorescent lighting in your bedroom, like that in many offices at 11 PM – it's not likely you would feel relaxed or ready for sleep. With new technological solutions, we can now make artificial light follow natural patterns that are in tune with our bodies.
How Does it Work?
The combination of new LED tunable bulbs and fixtures with a smart lighting control system can make your home's lighting work for improved wellness. In the morning, you can adjust the intensity and color to fade up to ease you into your day. In the late afternoon, your system can adjust to warmer tones (sometimes called warm dimming, where the light intensity is lower, and the color is "warmer") to start relaxing us and ease up to a point where we are ready for sleep later. The effect is meant to be gradual and subtle, but it works wonders.
A smart home control system, like our preferred solution Control4, gives you more options as well to combine human-centric lighting with other features that can promote wellness. At the right time of the evening, you can have your whole-home audio system play soothing music that relaxes you along with the subdued lighting. In the bedroom, you could even program white noise or wave sounds that some people find helpful for sleep. Along with lighting control that precisely dims strategic lighting paths to kitchens and bathrooms without jarring brightness to wake you fully, you can have a tailored environment that promotes healthful rest. Of course, controlling the temperature along with it, and automatically lowering your motorized shades, all contribute to less stress and more comfortable rest.
Avidia can show you all the ways residential lighting control can promote wellness and enhance your lifestyle. Call us at (847) 868-9200 to get in touch with our team, fill out our contact form here, or just click on the chatbox below to connect with us right away. We look forward to working with you.