Lighting mimics the sun to improve sleep

Light impacts sleep, and sleep impacts health. However, the lack of natural light in winter means getting good quality sleep can be difficult.

Australian smart-lighting company LIFX launched a circadian lighting feature, Day & Dusk, last year to address increasing consumer demand for wellness technology to assist with sleep health.

Exposure to light, both natural and artificial, has a marked impact on the body’s circadian rhythm and can affect the secretion of melatonin, which is needed for body clock regulation. Day & Dusk automates lighting to match the sun’s colour shifts throughout the day, transitioning from cool white in the morning to a warmer white at night, with temperatures ranging from 1500–4000K. The feature can be switched on via the LIFX app and it is the defining feature of the company’s Mini Day & Dusk, an 800-lumen light that can be used in any lamp.

LIFX said it has been adopted by 330,000 users and is actively used by around 100,000 households globally, with winter being the key time of adoption.

“We’re seeing people the world over look to technology to feel better, workout better, sleep better. It is these kinds of developments that are forging a new trend. As smart homes become the norm, we are seeing consumers take one step further to curate a ‘well home’ — a living space designed to enhance health and wellbeing, incorporating innovative technology such as smart lighting to help them improve the way they feel,” said Co-Founder of LIFX and Group CTO of Buddy and LIFX Marc Alexander.

“Most people know that the blue light emitted by screens is harmful for sleep cycles, but how many of us stop to think about the colour of the lights in the bedroom and how that might be affecting our sleep, too?”

Recent research from Monash University found that circadian rhythm disturbance may be a common factor behind the global diabetes, obesity and heart disease epidemics. According to the Sleep Health Foundation, 40% of Australians get insufficient sleep, which was estimated to contribute to 3017 deaths in Australia in 2016–17.

In April, a parliamentary inquiry report into Australia’s sleep health recommend that sleep is placed as the third pillar of health, alongside diet and exercise.

“LIFX can make an impact on a vital piece of the sleep puzzle — light. Day & Dusk helps users feel ready for bed, and wake up to soft light as nature intended,” Alexander said.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Photographee.eu