74% of people in the UK have felt so stressed they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope, according to research found by the Mental Health Foundation and YouGov in 2023.
As April is National Stress Awareness Month, it is the time to highlight the importance of destressing and finding a way to cope with everyday challenges and frustrations from work to family life.
Our home lives can have an impact on our mood in both a negative and positive way; one object in our homes that can have an impact is the different types of interior lighting.
Psychologists have found that the lighting in our homes can greatly affect our mood, they’ve seen that poor lighting in your home can contribute to negative energy, depression and even vitamin D deficiencies.
Now the days are getting lighter it means we don’t have to rely on using harsh interior lighting in our houses any longer, instead, the UK can start looking at embracing the lighter spaces in their homes to complement longer daylight hours.
Researchers at Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, found too much artificial light could negatively influence our mental health. That’s why Rob Beswick, Owner of CGC Interiors, is urging people to also think about how they can change and utilise their interior lighting to help boost their mood and relax.
He has revealed the five different types of interior lighting you should include in your home to help have a positive impact on your mood.
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Dim Lights To Relax and Unwind
When it gets into the evening, especially after a long day at work, it’s the best time to unwind and get ready to have a good sleep. That’s why eliminating bright harsh lights in your bedroom can help to relax your mind. Rob Beswick suggests using table lamps beside your bed and not using the main light in your room once it starts getting darker. Using dim lighting in the bedroom is better for sleep quality compared to bright lighting which can make you feel more energised.
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Find the Right Lampshades To Remove Harsh Lighting
If you have lots of bright spotlights or ceiling lights throughout your home, this could be contributing to feeling uncomfortable and tense in your home. This is why using lampshades can be a great alternative to help dim the lights and create some shadow in your rooms which can effectively create a warm and inviting atmosphere.
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Easy Lighting to Create Different Atmospheres for Different Rooms
Each room in your house will give off a different atmosphere and can affect your mood, but thinking about the type of interior lighting to use in each room can give you control over the type of ambience and mood you want to create. Jennifer Veitch, an environmental psychologist in Ottawa and principal research officer at the National Research Council of Canada found warm, ambient lighting facilitates relaxation and social interaction. Utilising lights such as USB rechargeable magnetic wall lights can be a good alternative to create this, which can be placed anywhere in your house, but most importantly placing them in the darkest spots in your home to give a boost of light that isn’t too harsh.
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Recreate Natural Lighting at Home to Reduce Stress Levels
Having a home that doesn’t get much natural sunlight shining through can make the space feel cold and very dark. Poor lighting can cause problems like headaches and eye strain, which will decrease your productivity. Humans need natural light to help increase melatonin levels, the hormone that helps us to feel relaxed. Rob Beswick recommends using full-spectrum light bulbs, which produce the full range of the colour spectrum, carrying both visible and invisible colour wavelengths of light making it the closest alternative to natural daylight.
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Choosing The Right Tone of Lightbulb to Energise or Relax
Most of us wouldn’t think too much about the type of tone of lightbulb to use around our house, but it is important in influencing our moods – from wanting to feel energised to being creative and fostering a sense of relaxation. For those working from home, using cool lighting such as bulbs with a blue to white tone can be good for making you feel energised and able to concentrate at work. However, those who need to boost their mood and find calm need to use warmer light bulbs which range from a yellow to orange tone.