How Recessed Bedroom Lighting Can Improve Sleep Quality

How Recessed Bedroom Lighting Can Improve Sleep Quality

We spend almost a third of our lives sleeping. So why waste all that time on a bad night’s sleep?

Research suggests that your environment is important to consider when improving the quality of your shut-eye. One of the most common problems affecting sleep quality is a bad bedroom lighting set-up.

With some expert lighting advice and installation, you can turn your bedroom into a sleepy sanctuary. Check out how recessed bedroom lighting can drastically improve the quality of your sleep.

 

What is Recessed Lighting?

Recessed lighting fixtures are installed directly into a surface. This eliminates the need for bulky shades, coverings, and external wiring. These sleek lighting solutions are perfect for adding depth to your space while creating a warm, even glow.

Recessed lighting fixtures are durable, adaptable, and can be integrated into your existing lighting set-up. They’re also great for emphasizing elements of your decor. This gives you the option of a dramatic or more subtle focus on specific decor elements.

How is Light Linked to Sleep Quality?

Perfecting your sleep environment is one of the best things you’ll ever do for your mental and physical health. Poor quality of sleep can wreak havoc on everything from your physical appearance to your immune system. In fact, a good night’s sleep is just as important as diet and exercise to your holistic well-being.

Human beings are complex creatures. Our internal body clocks (otherwise known as our body’s circadian rhythm) are almost entirely controlled by responses to light. Put simply, our bodies have adapted to stay alert and awake during the day and sleep at night, all through a complex process of hormonal release triggered by daylight and darkness.

Over the years, artificial lighting has messed with our circadian rhythms. This has disrupted our body’s internal processes that lead to a good night’s shut-eye. The correct lighting in your bedroom can lead to better quality sleep. This is why getting your bedroom lighting just right is so important.

What Recessed Lighting Can Do for Sleep

Recessed bedroom lighting isn’t only a great way to illuminate your space and add a bit of depth to your decor. It’s also an ideal choice for creating a perfect sleeping environment. Before we get into the benefits of recessed lighting for sleep, let’s take a closer look at the science of light and how different types of lighting can affect your body’s circadian rhythm.

When discussing light and sleep you’re bound to hear about the dangers of using electronics before bedtime as they emit blue light. Because the sun also emits this type of light during the day, your body associates this blue light with being alert and awake.

However, ideal bedroom lighting isn’t just about blue light versus warm light. Lux and lumen are also important factors to consider in your lighting design.

Lux refers to the intensity of illumination in your space, or in other words, how much light falls on an overall surface. Interior lighting systems usually give off a reading of 300-500. Experts say that the ideal lux reading in the evening hours leading up to bedtime should be no more than 180. When the lights are switched off entirely, the intensity should be no more than 5.

While lux measures the intensity or overall brightness of light across your space, lumen refers to the amount of light emitted from a single source, like a light bulb. The more intense the glow is in your bedroom, the worse it is for sleep.

Even Lighting for Ideal Lux

Recessed lighting can be spaced to distribute light evenly and achieve the perfect overall lux measurement for your bedroom.

Because recessed lighting is easily customizable to suit the shape of your bedroom, you can position your bulbs to gently illuminate specific areas. This allows for optimum lux levels, providing a warm glow to the surrounding space.

Receding Bulbs for Perfect Lumen 

Recessed lighting is installed within a surface, with smaller, receding bulbs. This means that the light emitted from a single bulb will be less intense.

If you like a more intense bulb and higher lumen levels during the day, recessed lighting also integrates well with other lighting fixtures, so that you can easily switch from a bright space to a soft, sleep-inducing glow.

Dim the Lights and Get Ready for Bed

As it gets closer to bedtime, scientists recommend dimming the lights so that your body winds down and knows that it’s almost time to sleep. Effective recessed lighting installation won’t overwhelm your space and is known for creating a welcoming, dim glow. Plus, you can install a dimmer so that the closer it gets to bedtime, the more you can control the light intensity in your space.

You also have the option of connecting your lighting system to your cellphone and dimming your bedroom space from the palm of your hand. So, even when you’re out and about, you can make sure your bedroom lighting system is ready for bedtime when you are.

Installing Recessed Lighting in Your Bedroom

If you live in San Diego or surrounding areas, a free consultation and lighting demo can help you decide how to integrate recessed lighting into your existing set-up. Our lighting experts will work with you to decide what specifications work best for your space and guide you through the whole process from consultation to installation.

If you’re interested in finding the perfect lighting system for other areas of your home, find out more about other specialized interior lighting options for every room.

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