| Our lives, health, productivity and general well-being are truly dependent upon the sun. A hundred years ago, more than 75% of people worked outdoors. Now we live and work indoors and see the sunshine through glass which filters out many health enhancing properties, thus eliminating sunlight from our daily diets. Sunlight has become a missing nutrient in our lives. Healthy living space thanks to full spectrum lighting Due to the latest developements on the fields of lighting systems, it is no longer necessary to sit in front of a lightbox in order to enjoy the blessings of full spectrum lighting. There are full spectrum compact lamps in different light intensities, up to26 watt (equals a 135 watt light bulb), so slim in design, that they can fir nearly any regular light bulb lamp fitting. Even for your candelier (E14 fitting) they are now available. That way you can easily equip your living- and working space with full spectrum lighting. Most important for our biorythm is, that our eyes get either sunshine or full spectrum light in the morning hours. That way the body knows it is daytime and switches into activity mode. With the right light in the morning, our melatonin level drops and we are completely awake. Therefore it is advisable to equip the bedroom, the kitchen and bathroom, where we spend our time during the morning hours, with the right lighting, in order to adjust our biological clock. How much light do we need? Besides the quality and intensity of light, also the duration of light consumption determines the amount of light we are getting. We need at least 3-4 hours daily the light of a 26 Watt (1650 lumens) LifeLite® biolight in order to get our daily dose of light. As a permanent light nutrient we can also use the full spectrum lamp the whole day for example on the desk. The experience has shown that it is better to get a smaller dose of light over a longer period of time, than getting f.e.g. 10000 lux in a very short period of time. Sunlight - full spectrum lamp Sunlight in a healthy amosphere consists of approx. 4.6 % UV, 46,4 % visible light and 49 % infrared. Also the visible parts of the spectrum have an important biological impact on f.e.g. the mood, vision, quality of sleep, digestion, blood preasure, stress, heart, lymphatic system etc. They further influence our perception of colours and visual acuity. Healthwise it is better not to have too much UV in the spectrum of your indoor lighting. The ideal light should consist of the seven rainbow colours plus infrared plus a little portion of UV-A and UV-B. Flickerfree Light A light which is run by 50 Hz alternate current, coming out of every regular socket, is switched on and of 100 times per second. With our eyes we notice only up to 15 Hz, but our brain realizes up to 1000 Hz. Researches and studies have shown that this flickering is causing stress in our bodies, often followed by sleeping problems, eyestrain, headache etc. That is why the good full spectrum lighting systems work on a frequency of 35.000 Hz, which is not even recognized by the brain. But the best alternative is to use flattened direct current, to create a completely calm light, with nearly no electromagnetic field close to the light. That is why the author was part of the developement of a full spectrum compact lamp, which can be run by 12V direct current. The new lamp can be ran by a transformer (220V AC/ 12V DC) or even with a car battery. Colour Temperature of LIght Important for our health, quality of sleep and mood is also the colour temperature of the light. At noontime sunlight has a colour temperature of 6000-7000 Kelvin. Daher sollte auch eine Vollspektrumlampe im Idealfall eine Farbtemperatur über 6000 Kelvin haben. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal is credited with having discovered the SAD condition in1981 and coining the term Seasonal Affective Disorder for the depression brought about by lack of daylight. SAD is an emotional disorder characterized by drastic mood swings, lowered energy and depression. The symptoms of SAD affect four times as many women as men. It is exactly not known why women are more vulnerable to SAD; it could be related to the cyclical secretion of the female sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone. Approximately six percent of the population respectively eleven million people in the USA suffer from SAD. According to a study the highest occurence of SAD, approx. 10%, is in the northernmost parts of the USA, between the 45. and 50. altitude (Washington, Montana, N. Dakota, S. Ontario, Alberta, B.C. etc ). Between the 45. and 50. altitude in Europe there are countries like North Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Tschechoslovakia and South Germany. According to scientists, more than 10% of the population of Finnland suffer from SAD. SAD symptoms differ from those of clinical depression in a number of ways: For example, SAD can cause carbohydrate craving, overeating, and weight gain as opposed to weight loss and diminished appetite. Sufferers tend towards oversleeping (hypersomnia) rather than insomnia, though they may also experience disturbed sleep with early morning waking. Other symptoms include low self esteem, negative thoughts and feelings, apathy, despair, fatigue, concentration and memory difficulties, irritability, anxiety, tension, loss of libido and gradual or sudden mood changes. There is evidence that some famous composers, such as George Frederick Handel and Gustav Mahler, were seasonal and did most of their compositions in the summer months. Mahler called himself the “summer composer”. His seasonal mood changes were reflected in the letters he wrote. Coffee Houses With Full Spectrum Light In Sweden In Sweden where winters are dark for 18 hours a day, trendy coffee houses now glow with full spectrum lighting. The owners believe their customers come to soak up the light, not just the coffee. Sunless Days In Tromso - Norway One description of the psychological effects of the dark days on the people of Tromso in northern Norway was provided by Joseph Wechsberg, who wrote an article in the New Yorker called “Morketiden” which means “murky times.” Tromso lies about 350 km north of the Arctic Circle, and has 49 sunless days during the winter. Wechsberg reported that people felt tired, had difficulty getting up in the morning and suffered from disturbed sleep, low energy level, and actual depression. The depression seems to be a particular problem among women. The return of the sun after 49 days is celebrated as “Soldag,” or “Sun day.” children are sent home early from school and all work stops by noon. The first rays of sunshine are greeted with tears, prayers, and special wishes. Light On Education - Fewer Dental Cavaties IIn 1973 John Ott and the Environmental Health and Light Research Institute Undertook a study involving four first-grade classrooms in Sarasota (USA). Full spectrum light was installed in 2 of the windowless classrooms, while standard cool-white fluorescent fixtures were installed in 2 other identical windowless classrooms. Concealed time-lapse cameras took random sequences of students and teachers in the classrooms. Although teachers were aware of the program, neither they nor students were aware of when they were being photographed. The photograph results were significant. Under the cool-white fluorescent lighting, some students demonstrated hyperactivity, fatigue, irritability and attention deficits. In the rooms with full spectrum lighting, behaviour and classroom performance, as well as overall academic achievement, improved markedly within one month. Furthermore, several disabled students with extreme hyperactivity problems calmed down and seemed to overcome some of their learning and reading problems. The study also demonstrated that children in rooms with full spectrum lighting developed one-third less dental cavities as children in classrooms with standard cool-white fluorescent light. This was not surprising, because a research conducted in the 1930's on a large number of children showed that the incidence of dental cavities was much higher during the school year (winter-spring) than during the summer months. Also the number of cavities developed was directly related to the amount of sunlight available in the area where the children lived. More sunlight meant fewer cavities. It is known that people living in sunny countries have healthy teeth. In a Canadian study Dr. Harry Wohlfarth investigated the effect of installing full spectrum lighting in a school for handicapped children. The results were highly significant. Blood pressure dropped an average 20 points per child, and behaviour, especially the reduction of aggression, improved dramatically. But when the lighting was changed back to the original fluorescent lighting, blood pressure increased and children's behaviour deteriorated. In a further study the same team measured blood pressure, mood states, and absence due to illness, total disciplinary incidences, classroom noise levels, IQ test scores and academic performance in 4 schools for over a year. Those children taught under full spectrum light were less stressed, quieter, less moody and showed the greatest improvement in academic and IQ test scores. They were also only absent due to illness one third as often as the children from the school where the lighting was unchanged. Full Spectrum Light At Work Place More recently, it has been found that full spectrum lighting in the work place creates significantly lower stress on the nervous system than the standard cool-white fluorescent lighting and reduces the number of absences due to illness. These findings seem to indicate that full spectrum lighting may act to boost the immune system in the similar way as natural sunlight. Stress Hormones ACTH And Cortisol Prof. Dr. Fritz Hollwich, Director of the University Eye clinic in Munster, Germany reported his research results in 1980 that higher levels of stress hormones ACTH and cortisol were found in people exposed to ordinary fluorescent light. These problems improved when full spectrum lighting was used. Eyes Are The Windows of the Soul – William Shakespeare Prof. Fritz Hollwich also discovered that about 25% of the light entering our eyes travels through the optical path and is used for seeing (vision), the remaining 75% of light travels through the “energetic path” to the brain. From the centre of the brain, light is sent to each and every cell of our body. Light – Medicine of the future – Dr. Jacob Liberman, O.D., Ph.D. In his book, Light – Medicine of the future, Dr. Liebermann explains that each of our eye contains 137 million photoreceptors. They transform light into electrical impulses that are then sent to the brain at approximately 375 km per hour. These impulses travel along several different routes that involve the entire brain. Some travel to the visual cortex for the construction of images, while others travel to the brain's hypothalamus and affect our vital functions. Most of us are not aware that eyesight is merely a small aspect of that dynamic process known as vision. We are much less aware that our eyes, as the major access routes by which light enters the body, can be mirrors of our general and emotional health as well as accurate indicators of our style of thinking and learning. Full Spectrum Light and Chicken Research reports indicate that chicken raised under full spectrum lighting do much better than their counterparts living under other forms of artificial lighting. They live twice as long, lay more eggs, are calmer and less aggressive, and produce eggs that are approximately 25% lower in cholesterol. The fact that the eggs laid by chicken living under full spectrum light are lower in cholesterol is not unusual, considering that human cholesterol levels also drop under the influence of sunlight. Idoor Plants Grow Healthier It is a proven fact that indoor plants grow better and healthier under full spectrum lighting. Shift Workers - Jet Lag - Restting the Body's Internal Clock Researcher have determined that the body's biological clock, which tells us when to sleep and when to be wide awake, is extremely sensitive to bright light and darkness. Subjecting people to precisely timed full spectrum bright light exposures, by way of their eyes, may be helpful in resetting their body's primary internal timers, thus correcting sleep disorders, assisting shift workers in adjusting to new schedules and helping travellers by reducing the symptoms associated with jet-lag. Normally, it takes about 6 days to overcome a Jet lag over the Atlantic with 6 hours time difference. With proper exposure to full spectrum bright light and dark, for example 30 minutes exposure each morning after wake up may reduce such a Jetlag adjustment to 2 days. Sleepiness while driving or on the job and errors in judgement can result in accidents. It has been pointed out that the nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island both occurred in the early hours of the morning, and researchers have speculated about the degree to which workers error resulting from fatigue and circadian disruption might have been responsible. Melatonin and our Sleep Cycles The hormone melatonin is released by the pineal gland during periods of darkness, while production is abruptly halted when our eyes perceive bright light. Melatonin is distributed throughout the body via our blood and cerebrospinal fluid. Studies have shown that melatonin affects our biorhythms by directly affecting our body's biological clock within the hypothalamus. Lighten our Older Years Elderly people often suffer from depression and lack of motivation. Both factors that may be improved by full spectrum lighting. More Light Less Weight One of the symptoms of lack of sunshine in winter can be weight gain. Some people do gain a lot of weight in winter and lose it in summer. If you recognise the pattern, you may need more sunlight or full spectrum lighting in your home or on your desk to help your shape and weight loss programme. Reduce Eyestrain Reading under full spectrum lighting causes much less strain to the eyes because the light is cooler, offers high contrast, reflects accurate colours and is flicker free. It improves visibility. Artists and craftspeople find that colours and design are much clearer and that the creativity is increased. |
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