There are two basic categories of lighting, the first being natural light and the second being artificial light. Both of these have an impact on the quality of sleep due to their effect on the levels of calming melatonin in the brain, so if you are looking to improve this aspect of your life, here are a few tips on creating an environment that is conducive to sleep.
A piece of advice that is often given is to install a pair of good curtains on your bedroom window. As you may well have already heard, the presence of light can confuse your body into thinking it is daytime, and therefore your bedroom should be kept as dark as possible throughout the night. A pair of thick curtains certainly helps in this respect.
In addition to choosing some good curtains to keep external light from entering your room, pay attention to the lighting in the bedroom too. Although some people like having a nightlight in the room to help them feel comfortable enough to sleep, this is not advised, as although this soothing light can help you fall asleep, it can ruin the quality of sleep if you are exposed to it all night long.
One solution to this is installing good lighting in your room that will relax you before you go to sleep so you will not need a soothing nightlight on all the time. A very effective way of doing this is by installing dimmable lamps in your bedroom so you can turn down your lighting to a relaxing level until you fall asleep.
Dimmable LED candle bulbs are an excellent option as they can be used in many different light fittings, ranging from your bedside table lamp to your ceiling lights. These dimmable LED bulbs will give you the possibility to have task lighting to illuminate your space when you need a high level of light, and also give you just enough light to relax in the evenings.
The candle shape of dimmable LED candle bulbs is also a bonus as these can truly imitate a real candle, but without the fire hazard! Look online or enquire at your local store to see if they have dimmable LED bulbs in stock that you can use in your home. You will of course, need to install a dimmer switch too, so ask for the advice of a lighting specialist for best results.
For those that like the security of having ample light when they move around at night, one solution is to instead keep a dimmable lamp on your bedside table. If you need to get up to go to the bathroom at night, you can turn the light on just ever so slightly to give a gentle light by which you can function, without waking you up too much.
Keeping low level lighting around your home - such as a nightlight in the bathroom and in your hallway - can also avoid the negative effects of light that is too bright, all whilst providing sufficient illumination for you to do what you need to do.
Our final tip is to remember that the colour temperature of the light that you use can make a big difference. The whiter the light, the more similar to daylight it is, which will in turn switch on your brain rather than relax it when you are settling down for a good night's sleep.
Make sure that your LED bulbs are of a warm white rather than a cool one, and you will be well on your way to a deep sleep that will leaving you feeling refreshed upon waking.
