Better Sleep Starts with Better Lighting

We’ve all been here… It's getting late. You're exhausted after a long day, but somehow, when your head finally hits the pillow, sleep doesn't come as easily as you'd hoped. 

Screen time, caffeine, and stress can interfere with a good night's rest. But there's another important factor that's often overlooked: the lighting in our homes, especially at night.

As the days grow shorter and daylight saving time comes to an end, we rely more on artificial lighting to brighten our evenings. And considering how much of our time is already spent indoors, it's worth asking: Could the lights we depend on every evening be making it harder to fall asleep?

Could the wrong lighting be keeping us awake?

Our bodies rely on an internal clock called the circadian rhythm, which helps regulate our sleep-wake cycles, and circadian rhythms are regulated by a predictable pattern: bright days, dim evenings, and dark nights. But today, artificial lighting disrupts this by extending daylight well beyond sunset.

In a home-lighting study, researchers estimated that nearly half the homes had evening lighting capable of suppressing melatonin by 50% or more. Brighter-than-usual evenings were also associated with greater wakefulness after bedtime (Cain).

The takeaway? It's not just our phone and computer screens. The lighting throughout our homes could be keeping us awake as well.

Better sleep starts 3 hours before bed

When it comes to sleep-friendly lighting, three things matter: spectrum, brightness, and timing. A 2022 consensus recommends reducing melanopic light exposure, the amount of light that stimulates our body's internal clock, beginning at least 3 hours before bedtime (Brown). Blue-rich light is particularly disrupting our circadian rhythm.

Fortunately, creating a more sleep-friendly environment doesn't require a complete home makeover or huge budget. We can start by simply switching off bright overhead lights, dimming our lamps, and choosing bulbs with reduced blue light as bedtime approaches.

At Norb, we've designed two lighting options to help make that transition easier.

NorbSLEEP: Comfortable white light for evenings

Winding down doesn't always mean we're finished with the day. There may be a book to read, laundry to fold, or a few more tasks before bed.

NorbSLEEP provides dimmable 2650K warm white, low-blue light. Its 97 Color Rendering Index (CRI) means colors appear exceptionally clear, natural and accurate.

It's a practical option for reading, relaxing, cooking, crafting, and evening activities when we still need comfortable white illumination.

NorbEVERYDAY-SLEEP: A softer glow before bed

As bedtime gets closer, we may want something even softer. NorbEVERYDAY-SLEEP provides dimmable 2000K amber lighting with no-blue light, creating an amber glow that's ideal for bedrooms, bedside lamps, kid’s rooms and lamps.

It's also a practical option for parents navigating nighttime feedings and diaper changes in the nursery. Instead of switching on bright, blue-rich lights that may increase alertness, dim amber lighting allows you to care for your little ones while minimizing unnecessary stimulation when we're hoping to fall back to sleep.

Whether we're reading before bed or getting up in the middle of the night, EVERYDAY-SLEEP offers gentle illumination without blue wavelengths.

Better Sleep Can Start with One Simple Change

The research suggests that healthy lighting is about choosing the right light at the right time. Sun-spectrum light should be used from morning until late afternoon, softer evenings, and low- or no-blue light before bed.

At Norb Wellness Lighting, we believe small changes to our everyday environment can help us build healthier habits. And when it comes to sleep, better sleep might be as simple as swapping a light bulb.

💡 Norbie's advice? Start by replacing the bulb in your favorite evening lamp and bedstand with a sleep-friendly option. It's one small change that can make a big difference in how quickly we wind down at night! Explore NorbSLEEP and NorbEVERYDAY-SLEEP to find the right lighting for your evening routine. It's light changing!

Both NorbSLEEP and NorbEVERYDAY-SLEEP can be beneficial in the home in different rooms at night.

References

1. Brown, T. M. (2022). Recommendations for daytime, evening, and nighttime indoor light exposure to best support physiology, sleep, and wakefulness in healthy adults. PLOS Biology. Read paper.

2. Cain, S. W.(2020). Evening home lighting adversely impacts the circadian system and sleep. Scientific Reports. Read study.