There are so many things to love about smart home technologies, like the convenience, energy savings and better security. Still, there is a huge benefit that often goes unacknowledged– the health benefits of smart lighting.
Lighting and Wellness
Smart lighting is fun and easy to have installed and integrated into a smart home system, but it can also play a huge role in wellness. The human body needs light. It also needs certain kinds, for certain durations and at certain times. Mess with that, and you mess with a lot of other things in your body. In fact, according to fascinating research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, overexposure to certain kinds of lighting, and exposure at the wrong time can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer. It also plays an important role in memory and mental well-being.
We Fail To Factor in Light Exposure
Our bodies rarely get a break from light, it seems, but most of us never even notice. There is always a light on nearby. Fluorescent lighting, our televisions, computer screens, games, mobile devices, and even our phones all emit light. And all that light registers as a lot of noise to our brain and Circadian Rhythm which is responsible for regulating sleep and hormones necessary for good health.
Top Health Benefits of Smart Lighting
Most people opt into smart lighting for the long-term energy savings they can provide, but having them can, ultimately, be very beneficial to your long-term health, too. Here are the top 6 health benefits of smart lighting.
- Reduces Incidents of Injury– getting Injured is a serious thing. For many people, even a few days off can have huge repercussions with finances. The CDC reports over 700,000 hospitalizations each year and 20% occur in low light conditions. Smart lighting helps avoid falls by allowing users to turn on lighting from wherever they are at from their smart phone, and when integrated into a smart home system, motion sensors can detect movement and light the way.
- Improved Circadian Rhythm–The Circadian Rhythm is a sensitive physiological process experienced by living things. If the process is disrupted, it causes sleep disruptions which in turn cause additional health problems. Smart lighting and color changing bulbs can help promote alertness with cool colors and promote the production of melatonin with warmer colored light which helps induce sleep.
- Better Sleep- Getting proper light, and limiting exposure during the evening hours helps the body get a better quality sleep. A more restful sleep contributes to improved memory and concentration as well as improved mental health.
- Induces Cortisol–Waking up to quality light helps your body produce Cortisol which is responsible for mental alertness. Using smart lighting to simulate dawn helps the formation of Cortisol.
- Reduction in Health Risks– The wrong kind of lighting at inopportune times works to suppress melatonin. Studies link melatonin suppression with depression, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
- Better Mental Health– Lighting has a huge impact on our emotions. Smart lighting is a tool that can be used to help fight depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and anxiety.
About Us
All Action Alarm is a family owned business that has been protecting Long Island and New York homes since 1980.
