Welcome to this post: Red Lights for Better Circadian Lighting.
The Impact of Light on Circadian Rhythm
As a result of technological advances, habits of modernity, and a hustle go-go-go culture, many of us are more disconnected from nature than ever. We stay up past sundown, rely on artificial lights before sunrise (or wake up way past sunrise), and are under artificial lights most of the day, rather than sunlight.
Graphic credit: jackkruse.com
Why does this matter? For so many reasons, your light environment matters immensely. Humans (and all mammals) are born with systems (starting with the eyes, which are a part of the brain) that are photoentrained. In other words, they are controlled by light. Natural light (sunlight) causes biological, systemic responses, and so does artificial light.
Credit: Jack Kruse’s Linkedin
To my knowledge, Dr. Jack Kruse is the first person to make the connection that the invention of artificial light coincides with the beginning of illnesses like Alzheimer’s and diabetes, both of which do not show up in the literature until after the 1890s. This 2016 study says that:
“Artificial light at night leads to cancer causation in humans, even after adjusting for population size, particulate matter representing air pollution, electricity consumption at national levels, and the land area covered by forests. This may be due to the disruption of circadian system by exposing to much light at night and this is can be generalized to the whole population and not only to certain occupational groups such as nurses.”
PMID: 27892680
You’re reading: Red Lights for Better Circadian Lighting.
Graphic credit: jackkruse.com
I go into the interesting and beautiful topics of sunlight and circadian rhythm on my blog previously, and I’d point you in that direction if all of this feels conceptually brand new to you.
Where do Red Lights Come in?
Before the invention of artificial light sources, our ancestors simply retired at sunset or they used firelight or candlelight to see. This was a circadian-friendly light source because fire does not contain blue light. Blue light is the wavelength of light that suppresses melatonin production, thus impeding sleep quality and your body’s ability to repair and regenerate at night. Blue light is naturally present in sunlight, however the problem comes in when we are blasting ourselves with artificial sources of blue light at times of the day that our biology is not set up for (after sunset, which the sun would not be up to emit that wavelength of light)
Firelight is rich in red and infrared light, both of which do not suppress melatonin production – making them the ideal lighting source, post sunset. Before I forget to mention this, I created a tutorial for how to turn your phone screen red over on my Instagram page, and you can check that out here.
You’re reading: Red Lights for Better Circadian Lighting.
Graphic credit: jackkruse.com
My Red Light Product Recommendations
Your knee-jerk reaction may be to replace every light bulb in your home, and I understand that desire. I like Boncharge’s lightbulbs for that, and I like that they offer single-color bulbs as well as full-spectrum bulbs that allows you to click between colors (depending on time of day). Pre-sunset, you can use a yellow/amber-colored bulb to mimmick the light in the sky, and then change to red after sunset.
Use code FEELMOREGOODER for 15% off
However, I would recommend getting one or two of these portable, rechargable, red light lamps (they also offer one with white, yellow, and red light variations you can click through). They are what I use every day and I find they are a much more doable expense than buying a bunch of light bulbs to equip/change your entire house. You can use my code FEELMOREGOODER for 15% off. As you decide to add more smaller items onto your home to make it circadian-friendly – consider this plug-in light (I use this in the bathoom for automatic nighttime red light illumination) and the clip-on light that’s great for nighttime reading.
Concluding Thoughts
Artificial red lights are not a perfect solution, as we would ideally not be using any artificial light sources. However, I’ve heard endlessly from you all on my Instagram page that a circadian-friendly lifestyle is not realistic. While I agree that living in society means exposure to light, there’s a ton you can do at home to make your living place WAY more circadian-friendly. My hope is that you leave this post with a better understanding, feeling empowered with new information, and inspired to get back in sync with nature – as much as humanly possible. Because we are nature, we just forgot 🙂
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