Can you light your way to better sleep? Yes, we reveal all…
When your wearable app tells you that you don’t sleep well, what do you do? Stress about it? Yep, join the club. Many of us just don’t know how to fix that little problem.
As Winter arrives and days dim, it’s tempting to turn on the lights, but a well-lit room does nothing to help you to relax and unwind. Our bodies respond to light, it stimulates us, wakes us and drives us to get moving. Ergo the opposite of what our minds need for relaxation.
We speak often to people explaining you should never plan your lighting to be fully bright. Of course times you’ll want and need that brightness. Eradication of shadows is generally the only criterion people have for lighting rooms.
Yet good lighting should work for many mood moments, relaxing ambient light should also be catered for. Lighting schemes can aid sleep when done well. It makes sense to plan your lighting for transitioning from daytime to nighttime, much in the way that moonlight does.
The natural world rarely goes from sunshine to pitch black; there’s the magical twilight time in between. This dimmer light gets us relaxing and, in time, becoming sleepier. In our chaotic stressful lives, we quickly forget to appreciate half light and this is a real shame, as it’s a precious time that helps us transition from waking to sleeping. In today’s article, we’ll explain the benefits of dimmer lighting and how it can aid a restful time before bedtime.
A good night’s sleep starts way before bedtime. With good health high on the agenda like never before we’d love to try and offer some insights into getting a good night’s rest.
Limit Technology
I’m sure many of us have tracked our sleep and know we have restless nights, we wake feeling the little benefit of a night’s rest. Few of us know what to do about that. Inadvertently, we are our own worst enemy!
As the sunlight fades we flick on the big light, reach for the telly remote or tech to dwindle away our precious rest period. But why do we seek to be occupied when we should be winding down? The lockdown has been signposted to us all to look after our minds and make space for self-care. Deceleration isn’t easy and it takes a little effort on our part.
Watch out – you are a saboteur! A quick scroll through social media and you are back in the grasp of the negative effects that’ll stop you from sleeping well. There’s nothing wrong with social media or the internet, the same as there is nothing wrong with food! It’s just overindulging can be negative and harmful to our health. Think of light from phones and computers as unhealthy when used in excess.
Imagine evenings differently. Treat sunset and twilight as a marker in the day to indulge in contemplation and relaxation. Work with circadian rhythms, use light or the lack of it to move your mood from fully switch on to fully switched off. Summer or Winter, a soft diffused mood lighting in the evenings is far more conducive to relaxing than brighter light. We’ve produced guides to layering light that may be useful for anyone planning a lighting scheme from scratch but the low down in edited form may be better; think of your screen time!
Get The Ambience Right
Opt for low lighting as the evening dims.
Dim the Lights
Dimming the lights down helps naturally to trigger the body and mind to relax. If you don’t have a dimmer invest in lamps, and position them at lower levels to allow the big light to be switched off completely. Candles are lovely but careful if you do drop them off this could be more dangerous, choose LED candles instead, there are some fabulous realistic styles available.
That gentle flicker has been replicated beautifully with these delightful examples.
It can be a mindful moment just watching the dance of the shadow patterns they make.
Colour of Light
Have lights with the ability to switch from a cool white to a warm white, if you can. Some lights now have this ability built in. If this is not possible use warm white light bulbs in lamps.
Diffusing Lights
Lamps with diffused or shielded light sources are best no matter what type of light bulbs you use.
We love the little lamps with holes in them like starlight dappled across a midnight sky. Even thinking about pretty lights starts me getting all poetic! It is amazing how light can affect mood.
Finally, Form Good Habits
Being habitual can be damaging when you engage in forming habits with the bad stuff it’s sometimes easier because others lead you down that path. Forming those habits that help heal you can seem a little self-indulgent. It’s not, it’s nature’s way. The ritual as day becomes night should be to rest, renew and restore yourself. Reflect on the day but don’t dwell instead begin your new regime. Light the candle, run a bath, create a calm oasis around you and be mindful of yourself. You need a little softer approach to look after yourself and to shut down for a rest. When the lights dim it’s time for some you time.