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CENTRIC SERIES™ LEDs for Human Centric Lighting

Lighting as Nutrition: Is Your Light Good for You?

For the past 150 years, artificial lighting's primary focus has been on providing enough light to be able to see objects with our eyes.

Modern research suggests, however, that our bodies rely on light for far more than just vision. From regulating our sleep cycles to signaling seasonal changes, our bodies and health are far more receptive to light than we previously believed.

The same way we consider different foods to have different nutritional benefits and risks, it is important to have an understanding of what's in your lighting and how that can affect your health.

The 4 Fs of Lighting Health: Fullness of Spectrum, Function, Flicker & Focus

Generally, three aspects of artificial lighting can have an effect on your health: fullness of the light's spectrum, light flicker, and distribution/focus of light distribution. For each of these aspects, the goal is to achieve a lighting effect that most closely resembles natural light.

  Fullness of Spectrum: Natural daylight has all of the visible wavelengths present. The Color Rendering Index (CRI) is a quick way to evaluate a light source's fullness of spectrum. A healthy LED light should have a CRI rating of 95 or higher to most accurately mimic the spectrum of natural light.

  Function: Consider the function and purpose of the lighting system, and choose a color temperature accordingly. For light therapy, choose a color temperature of 5000K or higher to replicate mid-day sunlight to promote alertness. To limit the impact of blue light during evening hours, choose a color temperature of 2700K or lower.

  Flicker: Many artificial light sources flash on and off at very high speeds that are not generally visually perceivable, but can have detrimental health effects. The sun provides constant brightness and it is therefore necessary for an LED bulb to not exhibit such strobing. Look for LED lights with a flicker percentage of 5% or lower, and a flicker index value of 0.02 or lower.

  Focus: We don't usually think of it in this way, but the sky is a huge, dome of natural light that shines down on us. Artifical, narrow focus lights with high levels of glare do not resemble the diffused and broad light that shines down on us during the day. Consider using a higher number of low brightness bulbs, or lighting techniques such as wall washing to achieve a similar effect.

 

CENTRIC SERIES™ LED Bulbs Available


$29.00
CENTRIC HOME™ Flicker-Free A21 15W LED Bulb

$18.00
CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free A19 10W LED Bulb

$18.00
CENTRIC HOME™ Flicker-Free A19 10W LED Bulb

$18.00
SUPERWARM™ 1700K Flicker-Free A19 10W LED Bulb

$29.00
CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free A21 15W LED Bulb
 

Blue Light, Melatonin and Circadian Rhythms

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Everything You Need to Know About Full Spectrum Lighting

The term "full spectrum light" gets used frequently, and oftentimes erroneously, as there is no single agreed upon definition. There are no cut and dry definitions that draw the line between "full spectrum" and "not full spectrum." This makes evaluating and comparing full spectrum bulbs challenging for co...Read More

Are LED Lights Safe? Are They Harmful to Your Health?

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Diagnosing and Resolving LED Flicker Issues

Perhaps you see some vertical lines in your smartphone camera shots, observed some strobing in moving objects, or simply learned about the health risks of LED flicker. In this article, we will explain how to evaluate the amo...Read More

Do 5000K bulbs give off a blue hue?

5000K is commonly considered to be one of the standard color temperatures for "daylight calibrated" light sources. While this may be an objective requirement for applications such as color matching and ...Read More

Do high CRI LED lamps have a lower M/P ratio?

With the proliferation of LED lamps, there has been quite a bit of concern over the potential negative effects of the blue light wavelengths produced by LEDs. One of the most tangible and commonly discussed aspects of blu...Read More