You’ve probably seen where light-emitting diode (LED) therapy is used by aestheticians to treat skin conditions and promote anti-aging effects. Did you know that LED light therapy can be used to lighten your mood and relieve stress? Now you do. There are many more facts to unveil about this unique healing technique, but let’s discuss how light affects your mood before we continue. 

How Does Light Affect Your Mood?

The light in your room or office affects you in many ways than you can imagine. Scientific research has proven that people are generally moody when lighting is poor. And this is attributed to the temperature and level of illumination in any space.

Other negative effects of poor lighting and lack of natural lights include eye fatigue, headaches, and bad mood. The major cause of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder that affects people in parts of the world where there's not enough natural light.

People who live in areas that receive little light often experience loneliness, discontentment, and anxiety. On the other hand, increased color temperature impacts your mood positively. High light temperatures are known to make people more vibrant and attentive.

Having touched on how natural lighting affects your mood, what happens when you are indoors or at night time when you want to sleep?

Understanding your Circadian Rhythm

Whenever you are not getting enough natural light, your brain begins to sense your environment differently and attempt to readjust your sleep/wake cycle.

The circadian rhythm is a biological process developed through a daily cycle of events and is often regulated by sunlight. In addition to regulating your sleep/wake cycle, the circadian rhythm also affects other biological functions like hormone secretion and cellular processes.

If you are familiar with basic science, you will recall three receptors (photoreceptors) that help us detect light. They include the rods and cones which are responsible for our vision.

The third photoreceptor is a group of cells known as the intrinsically photoreceptive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), and they play a role in converting light that beaters the eyes to electrical signals for our brains to understand — phototransduction.

Also, the ganglion cells are highly photosensitive, and they respond strongly to blue light. Because blue light is high during the day (when the sun is up), the cells' sensitivity harmonizes your sleep/wake cycle with the 24-hour solar day; and that's why your body automatically starts to dial down once the sun is gone.

Disruption of Your Sleep/Wake Cycle

Until the invention of the light bulb, our circadian rhythm was only influenced by the sun. Thus, there were fewer concerns about sleep/wake cycle disruptions.

Fast forward to today, we now have artificial lighting from street lights, in our homes, offices, and electronics like laptops and mobile phones. They all emit light that affects our circadian rhythm.

How does lighting affect your sleep?

Like we mentioned earlier, our bulbs and gadgets emit light, and they constitute nighttime lighting. Interestingly the light they emit is blue light (which is similar) to what we get from the sun.

So, using your phones or leaving the lights on at night, mimics daytime and the body tries to remain awake by inhibiting the secretion of melatonin — the hormone that ensures you have a good night sleep.

So, if your body isn't producing melatonin, the implication is poor or disrupted sleep, and you know what means for your mood. That's part of the reason you wake up feeling sad, angry, or irritated some mornings.

LED light can Help

Since we can't bank on getting enough natural light every day because the weather has a mind of its own and we don't need blue light at night, the best light option is LED lights.

LED lights come in different color intensities and temperatures. You can adjust them in the daytime to keep you awake, focused, and relaxed, then readjust the light temperature to help you relax at night — as you prepare to sleep.

LED lights also differ in color, and they affect your mood differently. Red (helps you to sleep), blue (keeps you alert and awake), Green (helps to relieve pain), and yellow (offers relaxation and warmth).

Why don't you give Aromeo Sense a try? —It can boost your focus and alertness during the day and help you sleep like a baby at night

Aromeo Sense is a smart sleep aide that leverages the science of LED light therapy to help you take charge of your mood and sleep. Aromeo sense has different color gradients and animations that suit its three modules — Relax, Focus, and Sleep.

And there’s more.

Aromeo sense also allows you to create your gradients and animations to suit your mood at any time. Check it out and get one yourself today. If you’ve got any questions or inquiries, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here for you; always.