Light therapy

The impact of light on our well-being.

In this article, we will answer all your questions about light wellness. We will give you a maximum of examples to transform your environment and enjoy your day. Let’s go!

The importance of surrounding yourself with beautiful objects

In a fast-paced world, your home is your refuge. Your well-being is a treasure. Our lives are now an alternation of ups and downs.

Feeling surrounded by objects that we like and that make us feel good goes hand in hand with a constantly changing lifestyle.

The action of objects on our well-being.

This is something that I repeat over and over again: “I firmly believe that surrounding yourself with beautiful objects that give warmth to your home is the key to feeling good about yourself.

Applying these principles at home is good, but applying them to all places during the day is even better!

Our moods and the environment.

According to a study, when we are exposed to the beauty of objects or nature, we improve our sense of well-being.

On the other hand, if the ability to appreciate “beauty” improves our well-being, ugliness and mediocrity will have the opposite effect. In the course of a normal day, we are tossed around by the places we stay in.

Of course, there are other factors that affect our moods, but let’s focus on the things that are easiest to change, but where to start?

The importance of light and our well-being.

You will say to me, light is not an object, and you are right. Wait a little and you will understand…

For many living beings and in our case man, it is obvious that our organism was created to function efficiently during the daytime hours.

Artificial light.

In the early days of industrial air, the ability to generate light from electricity (1878, Joseph Swan) allowed for the expansion of technology and productivity.

roducing light from electricity (1878, Joseph Swan) allowed for the expansion of technology and productivity.

It was also a great improvement in our living conditions, can you imagine living without electric lighting today?

However, the other side of the coin is that we are less and less exposed to sunlight, even though our bodies need it. Light therapy is there to make up for these shortcomings.

The sun, this benefactor.

It is important to increase exposure to light in the morning, as this light is particularly effective in reducing depressive symptoms.

On the other hand, ultraviolet radiation from the sun increases the production of beta-endorphin.

Beta-endorphin is one of the pleasure hormones, one of the reasons why we like to feel the sun on our skin. Exposure to the sun also helps us through the production of vitamin D. Deficiencies in this vitamin are associated with higher rates of
depression.
As you can see, the sun is good and we are not going to deprive ourselves of it.

Circadian cycles.

But beyond vitamin D, depriving our eyes of a source of bright light during the day can significantly disrupt our circadian rhythm.

Our species has evolved outdoors, and we still need light to synchronize our ancestral biological clock.

Throughout our history, it is the sun that has marked the beginning of the day, not an alarm clock! Sunrise and morning light synchronize our circadian rhythm, optimizing the functioning of our entire physiology. Unfortunately, depending on the season, the region and especially on our imperatives, it is unlikely that you will be able to plan your days according to the sunrise.

Synchronize your biological clock

To perform this synchronization, we need an early morning exposure to a light level above 10,000 lux.

This value is easily achieved with natural light even on cloudy days. But most of our offices have much lower levels.

Currently, we spend less than an hour a day exposed to lights higher than 10,000 lux, (especially in winter).

To compensate for this, do not hesitate to reinforce the lighting of your workstation with a desk lamp or light therapy lamp.

Similarly, the use of computers produces many annoyances such as blue light and emanation of positive ions. Salt crystal lamps are recommended to restore the balance.

Our circadian rhythm also includes a phase during which our body prepares for the night. If you don’t respect this phase, there is a good chance that the quality of your sleep will suffer. Falling asleep also requires some preparation.

To finish with the light, here are some recommendations:

1. Expose yourself to natural light as soon as possible. Otherwise, bright light in the morning (even artificial light) is particularly important to synchronize the circadian rhythm,

2. Drink your morning coffee on a terrace, outside or near a window. The combination of bright light and caffeine will boost your wake-up call, making you feel invincible!

3. Work near a window if possible. In the morning, if you are in a dark place, use a bright lamp for at least an hour.

4. Try to take a walk before noon. Try to expose part of your skin to the sun every day. The ideal dose depends on your skin color, the amount exposed, the season, the weather and the latitude. Remember to protect your skin and don’t let your skin turn red.

5. Two hours before going to bed, avoid bright lights. Favor warm and subdued lights. Remember that your genes evolved in a habitat where you alternated between bright natural light (daytime) and near total darkness (nighttime). The closer you get to this age-old model, the more benefits you will gain.

To conclude: This article is now over. I hope you will make good resolutions and improve your inner well-being. As an insomniac, I have completely reorganized my day. Believe me, when you set your life rhythm to that of the sun, you’re better off!

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• We hope this article has helped you understand light therapy better. You should be very interested in our next article on Aromatherapy. Otherwise, you will find all our blog posts at the home page and you will have the opportunity to consult our other articles in our Gazette by clicking HERE, see you soon.