For the upcoming dreary and grey Vancouver fall and winter, I’ve decided to spring into action. I think all of us have felt kinda “bleh” when it’s all rainy and dark on the west coast. While moving to Hawaii would probably solve that, I’ve decided on a cheaper alternative.
I’ve decided replace the lighting at my desk with a full spectrum light bulb. While I don’t think I fall under the classic definition of suffering from SAD, there are some days when I only feel like eating one doughnut because of the lack of sunlight.
If you think about it, modern human beings are outside a lot less compared to our early ancestors. In the winter, we get up before the sun has fully risen and spent all day inside at work. When it’s time to leave, the sun has already gone down, and we arrive at home in darkness. That can’t be good but here in Vancouver, we do this months at a time.
So, as an experiment, I purchased a 15W full spectrum bulb which gives off the equivalent amount of light from a regular 40-6oW bulb. These type of bulbs are said to closely recreate the same lighting conditions as if you were outside at noon on a clear day. Such bulbs also emit light that covers all wavelengths of the visible spectrum.
The first time I turned on the lamp, it was amazing how white the light was. I’m not talking about brightness but just how pure the light was. Looking around, I was shocked at how “yellow” the lighting was around the studio. In sharp contrast to the full spectrum bulb, everything else was bathed in this “yellow” glow.
The benefits of using this new bulb are supposed to be less eye strain, more attentiveness, better emotional well-being, and better sleep patterns at night. That’s quite the list for a single bulb but it certainly can’t hurt to try.
Of course, the bulb burnt after the second hour it was on, well short of the 10 000 hour rating. I phoned the distributor and they’re sending me a replacement in the mail. Today, I had to go back to my regular lighting which seems quite different now.
I’ll let you know if I become the cheeriest guy at the studio.