Sunlight provides countless health benefits.
It strengthens the immune system and provides vitamin D, which is essential to good bone health. Exposure to sunlight is also linked to increased production of serotonin — a hormone that boosts mood and help us feel calm and focused.
But the problem many of us have is...
We work indoors during daylight hours.
Must we miss out on all the health benefits natural light provide? In a word, no.
A combination of high-CRI, colour-tunable LED lighting solutions, and a floor plan which incorporates natural light sources, like windows and skylight, can help upgrade the office lighting to provide quite a few benefits of being under natural light.
By the way, don’t let seemingly technical words such as high-CRI and colour-tunable LED lighting products turn you off; we’ll explain them in easy-to-understand language along the way.
Right then, without further ado let’s explore some more benefits of working under sunlight and, most importantly, how to stimulate natural daylight in office using LED lighting.
The Numerous Health Benefits of Sunlight
Sunlight exposure provides lots of health benefits, including:
- Facilitating vitamin D synthesis to make our immune system stronger, which helps us fight off illnesses, like allergies and cold, and reduce our risk of developing autoimmune diseases
- Maintaining the circadian rhythm, which keeps your body operating on a healthy wake-sleep cycle
- Beating depression
- Helps in the production of endorphins, which improves energy levels and relieves stress
Daylighting Systems
Before the advent of fluorescent lighting, offices and commercial establishments used natural light as their main source of light. Now many decades later, more and more commercial buildings are incorporating the daylighting system.
An efficient daylight system doesn’t solely rely on natural light. Instead, it takes advantage of sunlight when available, and when it is not available, it uses electrical light.
Daylight systems for commercial buildings have all or some of the following features:
LED Colour-Tunable Products: Aligns colour temperature to mimic natural the natural change in the sunlight.
- Task Tuning: Adjusts the intensity levels of light as per space requirements.
- Daylight Harvesting: Optimizing the brightness of electrical lights based on the amount of natural light available.
- Occupancy Sensing: Detects the presence and absence of people and turn lights on and off accordingly.
- Scheduling: Turns on lighting and turns it off at pre-set times.
- Dimming Control: Allows users to adjust brightness of electrical lighting as per their needs and preferences.
- Vacancy Sensing: People turn on the lights manually, but the lights will themselves off automatically when motion is not detected.
What is colour-tunable lighting?
These light fixtures can utilize natural light and regulate the colour temperature of the light as the day advances, transitioning from daylight to cool white to warm white.
Colour tuning allows for the customization of lighting to suit personal preferences or specific requirements. For instance, the user has the option to program the LED light fixture to mimic the sun's movement from east to west during the day or select from various pre-specified settings — that is, dawn, morning, midday, afternoon, and evening.
There are three types of colour-tunable LED lighting options:
- Dim to Warm: Colour temperature range is 2700K to 1800K; mimics candlelight or incandescent lighting; tend to work best in hotel lobbies, restaurants, theatres, ballrooms, and homes.
- Tunable-white: Colour temperature range is 2700K to 5000K; mimics daylight; best suited for office and industrial lighting and in art studios and museums
- RGBW: This is full colour tuning (R=Red; G=Green; B=Blue; W=White). You get the full range of colour wheel and tunable-white. Ideal for office lighting.
The RGBW and tunable-white lights have the capability to replicate the colour temperature of natural sunlight as it changes throughout the day, ranging from a neutral white (3500K) in the morning to daylight (5000K) at midday, and finally transitioning to warm white (2700K) as the day draws to a close. This smooth progression helps improve productivity and maintain a sound circadian rhythm.
Why LED Lighting is a Great Option?
The benefits of LED lighting are well documented. These bulbs last much longer than traditional bulbs. They also require less electricity and are environmentally-friendly.
On top of all this, LED lighting has the ability to mimic sunlight. Natural White LED light bulbs mimic sunlight and help you maintain a stable and healthy circadian rhythm.
High CRI (90+) LED lighting reproduces a more realistic depiction of colour. In other words, they very closely mimic sunlight, helping people feel and look their best.
Some key benefits of High CRI LED lighting include:
- Delivers top-notch colour rendering, essential for tasks such as graphic designing, painting, photography and others that need accurate colour perception
- Reduces eye fatigue and strain, which is a recurring issue in workplace that are illuminated poorly
- May help boost concentration levels and productivity
- Consumes less energy and lasts 25,000 hours (or more)
- By using colour dimming and tuning capabilities, adjusting the quality and intensity of indoor lighting as per your needs is easy
Tips for Stimulating Natural Light in Your Office With Help of LED Lighting
Lack of sunlight in the office space can make feel working at desk for long hours particularly exhausting. Natural light helps restore energy and many believe (perhaps correctly) that it inspires creativity. But even when sunshine is not available, there are ways for stimulating natural light.
Here are some general tips for stimulating sunlight in an office space:
- Adjust blinds so that some sunlight can come in
- Place LED full-spectrum bulbs strategically
- Use sunlight reflection products near walls or windows for additional natural light stimulated brightness
- Install colour tunable LED lights which not only mimic sunlight but also adjust the light intensity depending on the time of day
- Consider using variety in your lighting sources (e.g. combine LED light bulbs with skylights or sunlight)
- Consider using wall sconces to reduce glare from overhead lights
Conclusion
Exposure to sunlight is good for both physical and mental health. However, if your job forces you to stay cooped in indoors, colour-tunable LED lighting with high CRI can stimulate benefits of sunlight exposure. It does so by delivering accurate colour rendition, as well as by minimizing eye strain when you work long hours.
LED lighting is more durable and energy efficient compared to conventional lighting. When used smartly along with skylights, it can help you maintain a healthy circadian rhythm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can LED lights replicate sunlight?
LEDs have the capability to mimic the colour and brightness of natural sunlight, thereby helping you maintain your body’s innate circadian rhythm.
What colour temperature best approximates natural sunshine?
Higher CCT values, in the range of 4000K–6000K best mimic natural daylight.
What is the best way to stimulate sunlight in office?
Use colour tunable LED lighting with a high CRI (90+) in combination with skylights and/or natural light. Colour tunable LEDs automatically adjust the temperature and brightness of light to closely mimic sunlight during different times of day.