Many people suffer from lethargy and depression during the dark winter season and this condition is know as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Research shows that light can influence how someone feels, their productivity and even what they choose to eat, proving that how we use light in our home can have a huge impact on our lifestyles and health. However with only 5% of natural light filtering into the average home, most of us are severely light deprived.
I am pleased to introduce you to this Innolux Bright Light Therapy Lamp. This is a Finnish design lighting brand which specialises in creating light that mimics natural sunlight (without UV damage) and has just launched into the interior world in the UK. This lamp is compact and idea for desktop.
Mr C works from home and most of the days he doesn’t even make it out of the door. This, of course, affects his mood and the lighting in his office is very dim. Now with the help of this lamp, he feels he has a brighter, more positive outlook which in turn will make him less lethargic and increase his work efficiency. Innolux Bright Light Therapy lights can be purchased from www.purelifestylewonders.com, with prices starting from £89.
This lamp comes boxed and needs to be installed which took me less than five minutes to put on the screws at the base. The base is very heavy and sturdy. It comes with four thick rubbery stoppers which help to cushion the surface.
Once it is installed, the lamp is ready to plug in. It comes with a 2.5 metre long cable which gives you more flexibility to find a place to suit you. It also comes with a dimmer switch located on the stand and an on/off switch on the cable.
It suggests to start the therapy 3-5 times a week throughout the winter. If the symptoms are not relieved or they reappear, try taking daily sessions for 1-2 weeks. Each session lasts for 30 minutes to 2 hours. As this comes with a dimmer, if you prefer a short session (30 minutes), then put it on the highest 10,000 lux. Longer than two hours does not intensify the effect but there is no harm of longer sessions. It is advisable to take the session between 6am and 6pm but it is most effective in the morning between 6am and 8am. You can also divide the session into several shorter periods during the same day if it suits your schedule better. As for Mr C, he starts work at 9am and this is the best time for him to start his therapy without any disturbance. He has been using it daily and it does help him in many ways.
This lamp sits very well on his desk, just behind his laptop. He enjoys using the dimmer where he is able to control the power of the light therapy according to how bright or dull it is outside. This lamp looks very simple and basic. The lamp has a great height and works well on a desktop, standing 50 cm tall but the height is not adjustable. It has a double axis which allows for easy rotation and adjustment of the angle.
In this video, I will be showing you the exterior of the lamp in more details.
To ensure our home is a healthy living space, Innolux is sharing their three top tips:
Increase the amount of natural light at home
The first thing to consider is to make sure you maximize the light from existing windows. Pull curtains back and shades up during the day. Do not block window light with furniture either in front of the window or close to the sides of the window. Especially avoid thick, dark furniture next to a window. If necessary, consider installing a new or expanded window or installing a skylight.
It is also worth considering whether you can update your front door to let more sunlight in, such as change a solid exterior door for one with windows. Sliding glass doors are a wonderful way to open up a room with light if you have a nice view (yard, scenery, deck or patio) to look out on.
And last but not least, think about your home décor – use white or light colors throughout the room to reflect natural light that comes in, white painted trim around the window helps too. Consider mirrors across from a window will reflect the light into different parts of the room.
Use bright light therapy
Bright light devices work by delivering daylight or light of specific wavelengths to the back of the eye (retina) to help keep the circadian and other rhythms relating to the body clock stable. They are most effective between 6am and 10am – when we are naturally supposed to be exposed to daylight.
With certain light devices, such as Innolux, there’s no need to look at the light directly. This means you can carry on with your everyday activities such as reading, eating, working or watching TV while taking advantage of bright light therapy.
Research shows that bright light therapy improves overall wellbeing, regardless of whether you suffer from seasonal affective disorder. It can therefore help anyone to support their wellbeing year round. Improvements were found in 10 days and lasted a month after stopping therapy.
Plan your lighting design scheme carefully
The light fitting, apart from its primary task, has also an important role in home decoration. It’s actually the light that shows off a space to its best advantage. A well-designed lighting scheme will make your home feel spacious, welcoming and will help you to create the desired mood – from calm and romantic to energising and vibrant by the touch of a switch.
Layers of light can be helpful here. This is simply a good general light (typically a central light you switch on to give you enough light to see when you are in the room) plus accent lights for areas of interest and task lighting.
Accent lighting is the most creative level of light as it allows you to put some depth, charm and personality into the room – this may be table lamps, wall lights, picture lights, spotlights, floodlights or uplighters. Their primary purpose may be to draw the eye to particular areas of the internal architecture to give added interest and highlight interesting objects or features within the room.
Task light is a brighter light for reading, homework, cleaning and cooking where a good strong light is needed. This could be a floor lamp next to the arm chair, a desk light or a bedside table lamp. In the kitchen this is usually under cupboard lighting to give lots of light on the worktops and above the sink or cooker.
Although each room is an individual space, you should also take the overall feel of your home into account. Consider using light to link rooms together.
Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however all thoughts and opinions remain our own.