Could Changing Your Light Bulbs Be an Effective Fatigue Treatment?

Fatigue can be a common problem both at home and in the workplace. With the causes of fatigue being so diverse, it's often difficult to pinpoint the precise cause. If medical and lifestyle causes of fatigue are excluded, the possibility of seasonal affective disorder or SAD may be considered. Seasonal affective disorder occurs when a person is deprived of light which has the full spectrum of colors. This can occur when an individual works or lives in an environment where they are exposed to minimal light or only to the light from fluorescent bulbs which have only a portion of the color spectrum as is often the case in an office environment. Could changing these unhealthy light bulbs be an effective fatigue treatment?

A variety of health practitioners use full spectrum lighting to treat fatigue and depression associated with seasonal affective disorder. Studies have shown that when fluorescent lights are replaced with full spectrum lighting in an office setting, the health and vitality of office workers improves. Workers report being less tired and more energetic during their work hours. For this reason, some offices are making the switch to full spectrum lighting to help to curb the problem of employee fatigue.

Why does full spectrum lighting have a positive effect on the treatment of fatigue? It's thought that this type of lighting alters certain brain chemicals which are responsible for inducing symptoms of tiredness. In addition to combating the symptoms of fatigue, full spectrum lighting has been shown to lower blood pressure, decrease the risk of getting sick, and even decreases the risk of eye strain.