It is widely accepted that our bodies need a good quantity of light at the right intensity and at the right time of day to act as cues for our internal body clock. The lights at your place of work, or indeed at your home, can make a big difference to the way you feel, and can affect your health. I have decided to look at why light is so important to our wellbeing, and how it can have a positive and negative impact on our moods, energy levels and overall health.

We are all familiar with those early morning starts, it is dark and cold outside and motivation to get up and go to work is not at its highest. Light in the morning helps us wake up and feel alert and energised, it sharpens us up and helps us prepare to take on the day ahead. It is equally as beneficial at night, using dimmer lights for example cues us to go to sleep and stay asleep, resulting in a good nights rest which is essential.

The right lighting at work is of paramount importance. Light intensity can influence individuals’ ability to sustain attention and cognitive performance. There are also indications that light exposure during daytime working hours can positively influence sleep during the subsequent night. Consequently, making sure you have the right light intensity can improve both health and productivity in workplace settings. Good visibility is often a prerequisite to engage in many work-related tasks. In addition to providing sufficient light to conduct work-related visual tasks, light intensity can also affect how employees perceive the atmosphere and lighting of the workplace.

After establishing that lighting is extremely important, the next question is how much light do we actually need? This all depends on the time of day and the activities we are trying to accomplish. During the day, we need high levels of light to stay alert for school or work, while in the evening and night we want to start feeling more relaxed and ready for bed. Too much light in an office for example could see headaches develop, and concentration levels dip. All in all, it is a must that we have the correct lighting intensity be it at home or in the workplace. It affects our moods and health, and there is no doubt the correct lighting design will keep our productivity levels high.

• The Wila Lighting profile has a range of lighting options for the workplace or the home.

• Fagerhult Lighting have a range of LED luminaires for offices.