Lights for Sleep

There’s this thing many of us crave—spend hours and nights seeking. It’s an elixir, giving clarity in daylight and peace through the night. It’s refreshing. It’s revitalising. It’s renewing. It’s…a full night’s sleep. Can you imagine it? [full body shiver] This drug seems hard to come by, but there’s a trick of the light that can give you a full night. (Couldn’t resist the rhyme.)

Our ancestors of the knuckle dragging variety did a lot of things we may no longer agree with (at least the vegans amongst us won’t), but one thing those club-carrying Neanderthals had right was a schedule set by the sun. Before we had all the tech, it was actually lights out after dark. Now the day never ends, and it’s bright lights and zero sleep. But don’t despair, saviour Night Shift® is here.

You’ve Got [Circadian] Rhythm

Quickly, a crash course on circadian rhythm. That rhythm is your body’s internal clock. It controls the release of melatonin (a sleep hormone), which—you guessed it—triggers (drumroll please) sleep. It relies on environmental cues to tell it what to do when. Light, artificial or from that big ball of fire in the sky, is its biggest director.

The blue frequencies present in daylight suppress your body’s production of melatonin, so you’re alert and feisty during the day. But those same blue frequencies need to be absent to let melatonin flow for that beauty rest at night.

Since your body is relying on environmental cues to tell it when to rest or boogie, you can seriously mess with your clock if you’re all willy-nilly with your lighting. All the research says so, and we do too. So, the end. It’s true.

Essentially, each time you turn a bright light on at night, your brain says WTF, must’ve been another bender last night, and it resets your internal clock. Instead of flooding your body with sleep hormone, it pulls it back and tells your organs to wake the heck up because hey, it’s a bright and shiny new day. When in reality, it’s just you snagging that last slice of pizza from the fridge.

*The reverse would apply if you went all Dracula-like with full window shutters and zero light. Your body needs the blue frequencies of daylight to tell it to wake up and stop producing melatonin. But, we’re talking about a full night’s rest here, so shush. Look at Day Shift if you want that daytime alertness. Here, we’re all about the zzz’s.

So, what to do? Well, the problem lies in the solution. Lights for sleep. It’s a thing.

Dimming it Down (and Then Some)

Colour temperatures, lux levels, wavelengths, and do-da-doo. This is how all the technical speak breaks down: The sun, when it rises, is considered a ‘warm’ light with a low colour temperature. (The warmer the light, the less blue it has.) Easing through the day to a cheeky arvo, that temperature increases even though the sun’s light (brightness) is cooler. The cooler the temperature, the more blue light, the more you’re ready to party.

As the sun sets, that temp slowly drops down becoming warm again. You get what’s considered a fireside glow around 2700K (that’s the temp). And the studies say our human brains like this colour temperature. It makes us feel safe, cosy, and relaxed. Because, you know, back to the ancestors again, a fire would mean you’d safely made camp for the night—hadn’t been eaten by any large beasties during the day. Boring, but considered a life win.

Lights that dim down even lower than 2700K? Now you’re feeling that post-work glass of red or first sip of whiskey. Suddenly the day’s troubles are fading away, and you’re relaxed and oh so chill.

Not that we’re suggesting you skip the bev. Full steam ahead there, but last we checked, feeding alcohol to children was frowned upon. So the winner here is, these lights can put those kids into that same relaxed chill state. Sans alcohol (because you didn’t want to share anyway), those bedtime struggles are handled.

Night Shift®

At Brightgreen, we call this circadian lighting feature Night Shift®. And our lights dip low to a cheeky 1800K. That’s uncommon, though we’ll leave the ‘uncommon times’ tag off. As Night Shift® lights dim down, so do their colour temperatures (like the sun!) easing you from a warm dusk to total slumber (3100K to 1800K). Fear not though, you’ll still be able to see what you’re doing.

Sounds tricky, hey? Well, it’s not. Night Shift® works fine with any standard phase dimmer or home automation system. Slap these lights in and watch your whole space make a full colour temperature shift. (Think dens and bedrooms, you probably don’t need these lights in your office. Just saying.)

If you’re feeling like you want to mix up your fixtures, no problems there. Night Shift® is available in our downlight, strip, and pendant lighting ranges. So you can get that shuteye in the style you seek.

Let Night Shift® reset that body clock the natural way. Your days will be clearer, your nights more relaxed, and somehow you’ll be experiencing life au naturel without the long drop.

See your Night Shift® options here and request a quote!