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What are Full Spectrum Light Bulbs?

Sonal Panse
Full Spectrum Lighting is less stressful to your health than other artificial light like Fluorescent lights.
Light, specifically natural sunlight, plays a very important role in our life. Exposure to sunlight affects the hypothalmus, which is perhaps the most important part of the brain. It controls and oversees the nervous system and the endocrine system, along with most of our other body functions.
Sunlight activates the pineal gland and affects the balance of the melatonin and serotonin hormones produced in our body.
With decreased light exposure, production of melatonin goes up and causes fatigue; with increased light exposure, production of serotonin increases and elevates your mood and makes you more mentally alert.
Our body clocks are instinctively attuned to the sun's progress through the day. We get up in the morning and we go to bed after the light fades. Any changes in this rhythm upsets our balance, as people suffering from jet lag or those who switch their work schedule abruptly from day shifts to night shifts will attest.
Moderate exposure to sunlight reduces the risks of disease and promotes overall well-being and good health.
Lack of sufficient sunlight can lead to various disorders like depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Such disorders are becoming more prevalent now than they ever were, because more and more people nowadays spend a considerable portion of their time inside inadequately-lit homes and office buildings.
If you're spending more time indoors than out, then do consider availing yourself of full spectrum lighting and lamps for better health benefits.

What is Full Spectrum Lighting?

Full spectrum lighting is optically balanced artificial lighting that duplicates the clarity and color intensity of noon time sunlight. It is a clear, bright white light that has a 90-100 CRI (Color Rendering Index) and 5000-5500 Kelvin temperature.
It includes the entire gamut of light rays from UV (ultraviolet) to VIBGYOR (Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red) to IR (infrared). Full spectrum earth phosphors are used to manufacture these light bulbs. Bulbs not meeting these specifications should be avoided.

Why should you go for Full Spectrum Lighting?

Full spectrum lights are less stressful to your health than other artificial lights. Since they replicate natural sunlight, they reduce the levels of melatonin and cortisol hormones in your body and thereby you experience less stress.
You will suffer less eye strain, headaches, and general fatigue. They help improve the immune system, decrease blood pressure problems, and decrease insomnia.
These lamps are used as an effective form of light therapy to treat people who suffer from seasonal depression or what was traditionally known as 'Winter Blues' and sometimes as an alternative to taking chemical antidepressants in the treatment of regular annual depression.
Installing full spectrum light bulbs in offices has had a proven beneficial effect on the mental and physical well-being of the office staff, reducing work stress and irritability, and increasing energy and concentration levels, optimizing performance and energy levels.
Aside from this, full spectrum light bulbs have many other positive attributes. They are very durable, and can last for over 10,000 hours or 417 days.
They may be a tad expensive to purchase, but that extra expense balances out with their longer life expectancy and the fact that they also consume a lot less energy than usual light bulbs (which is good news for the levels of your electricity bill), and are environmentally friendly.