Not Getting The BLUES

Recent and new research by Professor Derk-Jan Dijk, Professor of Sleep and Physiology at the University of Surrey in England has found that office workers who sit and work under lights which have a bluish tinge find it easier to concentrate. In addition, not only do they feel happier, but these workers even report sleeping better at night.

In the experiment carried out by the University of Surrey, 100 office workers were divided into two groups during the winter months. This, in the Northern hemisphere, is of course when hours of natural daylight are greatly reduced, and more artificial lighting is necessary in homes, factories, shops, offices and schools.

Natural outdoor light is composed of the whole colour spectrum. In comparison, much of the light produced artificially for indoors is severely lacking in this blue element and has more yellow than natural daylight.

One half of the workers involved in the experiment were left working under the traditional and far more yellow electric lighting, while the other group of workers had lighting that included a more 'natural' colour spectrum, with a more natural balance of blue within the light produced.

The workers under this bluer lighting noticed the change in their lighting, but any possible changes and expectations were not discussed with these workers.

Although their work performance was not measured, these workers reported less headaches, less sleepiness at work, and feeling 'better' when compared to the other group with the unchanged lighting.

Up until recently, such light experimentation has been based on what we already know... based on the red/green/blue constituent of white light.

This latest work highlights the fact we need full spectrum lighting to function fully and well and that Melanopsin, the photo-pigment and photo-receptor involved in our biological internal (circadian) clocks, needs adequate blue-wavelength light to keep us on top form. Importantly it seems we can all be adversely affected by lack of this blue light in our lives.

Scarlet Pixel investigated the use of 'bluer' Daylight lights for health in 1999.

This latest scientific research only adds to the wealth of evidence about the importance of light and colour in the lives of each one of us.

© Scarlet Pixel 1999 - 2009