The color of Natural Sunlight is always best for your health not only does it provide a spectrum of light where it is easier to read and see things it can also effect your psychological wellness.
We have all come across this before after spending many hours at work or school in rooms that seem to be well lit you get outside on a bright sunny day and it feels refreshing. Your eyes begin to readjust and you are likely to feel better. Sunlight also provides Vitamin D and research has proven that natural sunlight is better for you then supplements found in Milk or pill form.
Psychologists have been studding the effects of interior lighting on workers for many years and slight improvements can cause tremendous changes in productivity. And it is also probably good reason why bosses get the window office.
So what can you do to brighten your day and relieve stress?
First you should understand that different types of light bulbs emit different colors of light. There are many times you have probably come across this and haven’t even noticed.
The colors of light are rated in Degrees Kelvin. Scientist take a pure black test element and heat it until it matches a certain color of the rainbow spectrum. You may have seen someone welding or heating a piece of metal in a forge and as it begins to heat up it starts to glow dark red then red, orange, yellow and so on. The darker the color the lower the temperature on the color scale and at the top of the temperature scale is pure white.
Our sun emits pretty much pure white light because it is so hot however weather conditions and water and pollution in our atmosphere will change the color of light. Also the time of day changes the color of light. At sun rise and set the color temperatures of daylight are at their coldest and will look red orange and take on other colors based on water and pollution showing all colors of the rainbow. But on a bright clear summer day or in winter with snow cover the suns light is pretty much white.
Arc Lamps are the hottest common lighting source you are likely to come in contact with but they are not suitable for normal lighting. Often they are used in Graphic Arts to burn silk screen patterns on photosensitive gells. You may have seen one at school and your teachers probably always told you to never look directly at the light when it was on.
Incandescent Lighting – Found in Standard light bulbs gives off a yellowish orange hue.
Florescent Lighting – gives off a yellow-green hue.
Halogen Lighting – Found in Specialty Lights and Desk and Floor Lamps is closer to natural light and gives off a blue hue. This lighting choice is being phased out because bulbs get extremely hot and can be a fire hazard.
There are also a number of High Intensity Light Bulbs that use Mercury, Sodium and other metal gasses under High Pressure. They are used most often in street and outdoor building lighting. They require special fixtures to withstand the high temperatures they give off and often have delayed lighting circuits to allow the bulb to warm up before it hits full output. You may have noticed this in your street lights which glow for about a minute before turning on all the way.
Here is a rating chart of some common lighting devices
Clear Mercury-vapor 6410K
Halophosphate Cool Daylight Fluorescent 6430K
Ceramic Metal Halide 5400K
Halophosphate Cool White fluorescent 4230K
Quartz Metal Halide 4200K
*Tri-phosphor Cool White fluorescent 4080K
Coated Mercury-vapor 3600K
*Incandescent/Halogen Light Bulb 3200K
Tri-phosphor Warm White Fluorescent 2940K
*Halophosphate Warm White Fluorescent 2940K
High Pressure Sodium (HPS/SON) 2100K
Low Pressure Sodium 1800K
How Can You Improve Your Lighting Conditions
Since most homes and businesses are moving to Fluorescent lighting to save money you should look at ways to optimize its use.
For general lighting in common areas you can use a standard fluorescent light but for reading or in the bathroom where women apply makeup you may want to upgrade to a higher grade fluorescent light that approximates natural sunlight.
When you visit your local lighting store they will be able to show you a range of different fluorescent lights on a demo display. Usually this is a box that has divided sections using different bulbs. This is a very easy way to see exactly how each bulb differs in color and lumen output.
If you can not find an appropriate bulb for your setting you may want to increase the local lighting conditions with a desk or floor lamp that will provide more light in your local area. This should help to some extent.
And always remember to open the blinds during the day. Sunlight is not only better for you it is free.
The YouRepair Store sells a full line of Lighting Fixtures and Bulbs at discount prices.
Checkout our offerings of LED technology lights for your home or standard and fluorescent bulbs to meet every size and option you need.