WRITTEN BY HENRI JUSLÉN
Henri Juslén, Helvar’s Chief Future Illuminator, focuses together with his team on lighting, research, university co-operation, IPR, standards and AI-solutions. With over 40 years of life experience and over 20 years of lighting experience, Henri is a true veteran of the lighting industry. Henri holds a number of qualifications including a D.Sc in tech and the WELL AP credential.
Are you tired? Probably. Life’s hard: 24/7 online, deadlines, pressure – you know the story. It feels like modern life is designed to deprive you of sleep. But what if tiredness is more to do with individual choices than you might think? Whatever the reason for sleepiness, it is important to know that light can help. Here are 3 tips to improve your wellbeing, just by getting the right light.
Cool for work, warm for rest
The colour temperature and intensity of daylight change throughout the day: from around noon tones of light are warmer. In the evening you’ll naturally feel tired and want to sleep. Morning light (bluer, cooler light) encourages activity and alertness and the warm, more yellow tones help you to relax. Also for the best sleep, all lights should be switched off completely – yes, that includes your beloved phone.
We are unique
This is especially true when it comes to lighting. We all see light in a different way. Have you ever, for example, wondered why someone sees a different colour to the one you see? Our visual systems are different. Ageing changes our visual systems – the older you are, the more light you need, particularly for visually demanding tasks. Chronotype* and gender influence our preferences.
Energy boosters
You might have also experienced an energy boost after a long lecture in dark auditorium when someone dims the lights up again. Light can have these immediate alertness effects as well, and in this case it’s all about our eyes. How you see the world depends on light, and if you can design and control light, it can really make a difference. We can change the perceived colour and shape of objects just by modifying light and its direction.
* A chronotype is the behavioural manifestation of underlying circadian rhythms of myriad physical processes. A person’s chronotype is the propensity for the individual to sleep at a particular time during a 24-hour period.
How smart can a building be?
This year we are taking part in one of the biggest developer, designer and techy gatherings in Europe to … create. In Junction 2018 event, we challenge industries best brains to work on the smart buildings: with machine learning and AI, can one build a completely new brain of the building? We will see it all on 23th November in Helsinki, Finland.