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Why is Circadian-Effective Lighting Important for the Lighting Industry?
Why is circadian-effective lighting important for the lighting industry?
By DR. MARK REA
A friend of mine once said, “The answer to every ’why‘ question is ‘money.’” I used that quote for many years until another friend added “and people,” because sometimes, love, friendship, and family are even more important. Circadian-effective lighting (bright days and dim nights) is about money and people.
FOR VALUE-ADDED BUSINESSES (MONEY). Lighting is more and more becoming a commodity business, meeting current lighting standards and then competing on price. Value-added products are more profitable if the user is provided with a real benefit. Circadian-effective lighting is value-added because it demonstrably improves sleep.
FOR SOCIETAL BENEFIT (PEOPLE). Bright days and dim nights promote better sleep. Good sleep is the foundation for better productivity and better health. Clearly and consistently articulating the benefit of bright days and dim nights will place lighting on par with the benefits of exercise and a healthy diet. Because it demonstrably improves sleep, circadian-effective lighting deserves a far more prominent place in the minds of politicians and the public.
For that to happen, however, everyone associated with the lighting industry has to stop waiting for standards organizations to make the first move, and we need to articulate light’s health benefits. We need to stop being our own worst enemy and quit hiding the health benefits in a folder of good ideas for a vaguely defined future. A quote from an old Pogo cartoon tells it all:
—Pogo Possum
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES TO THE LIGHTING INDUSTRY?
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND, EMBRACE AND PROMOTE SCIENCE. The culture of the lighting industry is grounded in engineering, not science. Good engineering relies on good science, so the lighting industry cannot engineer “bright days and dim nights” unless they can be measured. Scientific understanding is developed through an unfettered peer-review process of research. Without published, peer-reviewed, quantitative research, science does not progress. Supporting peer-reviewed scientific research is critical for the lighting industry, even if it is not central to its engineering culture. We need to budget some time to understand the foundations for good engineering.
WE NEED TO KNOW MORE, BUT THAT SHOULDN'T STOP US. Science is a never-ending process of developing a more complete understanding of natural phenomena. At a high level, the science is clear - bright days and dim nights promote better sleep. Do we need to know more? Sure. The amount, spectrum, distribution, duration, and timing of circadian-effective lighting are all important for delivering better sleep at night. But, we already know the most important aspects of circadian-effective lighting; from a current engineering perspective, systems should provide at least 350 lx of white light at the eye during the day and less than 30 lx of white light at the eye during the night. How to do that precisely, efficiently, and cost-effectively is not completely understood, but these uncertainties are second order and should not impede us from providing value-added products and societal benefit. We know enough now to make a real difference.
WE NEED TO ACT NOW. Prosecuting the case for circadian-effective lighting to building owners and to the public is like prosecuting a legal case. Unlike a criminal case where the jury must be unanimous in its decision of guilt or innocence, prosecuting the case for circadian-effective lighting is very much like a civil case, where only a majority of the jury, usually around 75%, must be persuaded. By this criterion, the evidence is clear — at least 75% of scientists believe bright days and dim nights promote better sleep. Now is the time for “civil” engineering to provide circadian-effective lighting. As new scientific insights are gained about circadian-effective lighting, new engineering and business opportunities will arise.
—Pogo Possum
If the case for circadian-effective lighting is effectively and successfully prosecuted by each of us, the marketplace will bring money and people together to answer the “why” question posed earlier. We shouldn’t miss out on an opportunity to revolutionize lighting simply because it involves the nominal risk of changing lanes. To paraphrase another line often attributed to Pogo Possum, let’s not allow ourselves to be stymied by insurmountable opportunities.
