Reducing Blue Light in the Office
In your search for the best office lights, you have probably come across warnings against too much blue light. In moderation, blue light wavelengths are healthy. They exist within natural sunlight, keeping us alert and awake during the day.
Too much blue light in the office, and employees will struggle to relax and sleep well when they go home. Artificial light sources like light bulbs and computer screens typically have large spikes of blue light, which is much different from the color spectrum found in healthy natural sunlight.
For employees who are happy and healthy, look into reducing blue light. Sunlight-mimicking LEDs, blue light glasses, and healthy vision exercises can all help your whole office stay safe from the harmful effects of blue lights.
Harmful Effects of Blue Lights
Excess blue light is all too common in modern offices. After all, so much of our work is completed digitally, from video conferencing to digital paperwork. But all that exposure to blue light can have negative effects on our health if we don’t take protective measures.
Digital Eye Strain
If you stare at electronic screens for a long time at work, you have probably experienced digital eye strain. You may feel fatigue behind your eyes, along with soreness, itchiness, light sensitivity, and even blurred vision. This is a sign that you are probably receiving too much blue light exposure.
Restless Sleeping
Blue light can also cause disruptions in natural sleep cycles. If you use a laptop, phone, or tablet after sundown, troubled sleep is especially likely.
Why? The body is wired to receive some level of blue light from natural sunlight during the day. In fact, blue light during the day keeps us alert and awake, which is a good thing! But since blue light keeps us alert, too much blue light at night can signal to our bodies that it’s time to wake up and stay awake—not ideal when you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep.
Increased Risk of Depression
Blue light, in moderation, can actually be good for our moods. But when it starts to keep us up at night and disrupt our body’s natural systems, the disruption can start to cause mental health problems.
Blue light can interfere with many of the body’s natural systems. This includes sleep, neurotransmission, hormone secretion, and brain plasticity. Taking extra precautions to reduce blue light exposure, especially in the evening, can keep your employees feeling happy and reduce their risk of experiencing depression.
Change to Low Blue Lights
Natural sunlight mimicking bulbs are a great way to reduce the harmful effects of blue light. These low blue light lamps give off light that is similar to the sun, our healthiest source of light.
SOListic products by TCP feature an advanced LED chip that mimics the characteristics of natural sunlight. This means your light will cover the full color spectrum evenly, unlike typical LEDs that produce a spike of blue light.
By bringing sunlight indoors, you give your employees the closest thing to natural sunlight. This encourages health and well-being by reducing blue light exposure and following closely with natural human circadian rhythm.
How to Minimize Blue Light Exposure
In addition to anti-blue light light bulbs, you can tailor your employee’s work environments to support their overall health with a few simple changes.
Blue Light Computer Glasses
Blue light-blocking glasses are common in workplaces where employees spend much of their time on computers or looking at screens. They are even available with prescription lenses! Consider providing a stipend for these tinted glasses to help your employees minimize blue light to stay safe, healthy, and productive.
20/20/20 Rule
For overall eye health, remember the 20/20/20 rule. Every twenty minutes, look at something twenty feet away for twenty seconds or more. This helps counteract the effects of staring at a screen up close for long hours—especially when that screen is emitting lots of blue light.
The 20/20/20 rule allows your eyes to rest and recover from strain. You can also add in a few forceful blinks to encourage your eyes to rehydrate, which is especially helpful if you struggle with dry eyes.
Lutein Vitamins
Lutein is a vitamin that helps our bodies filter high-energy blue light wavelengths. Humans get lutein from our diet, including dark leafy greens and eggs. To add to your lutein intake for healthy eyes, you can look into lutein supplements for a boost.
SOListic Lighting by TCP
For the most natural, sun-like LED bulb on the market, choose SOListic bulbs from TCP. Our innovative LED technology lets you enjoy the energy-saving benefits of eco-friendly LEDs, without sacrificing eye health or light quality.
The light from SOListic bulbs spans the whole color spectrum, avoiding the spike in blue light that can cause so many health and wellness issues.
Keep your office healthy with SOListic.
