Reading Light Ranges
After a long day, there’s nothing more rewarding than curling up with a delightful read. I’m still a traditionalist and like to hold a book or magazine with printed pages and substantial weight. I tend to read in the evenings, and I’m known these days to go for lighter fare, nothing too intense or scary. I want my reading experience to be relaxing and enjoyable. But especially at this time of year, some of you may be heading back to school or at least your children are, and you’ll be doing some more focused reading with textbooks and term papers. So, depending on the task at hand, the type of light you read by has a direct impact on achieving the most desired results.
For a leisurely read in the waning hours of daylight, a lamp or fixture with a warm, directed light yielding about 75–100 watts will provide a comfortable experience. An overhead recessed light or a tableside lamp with a shade should do the trick. Even though traditional incandescent bulbs are still available to choose, LED is leading the way in energy-efficiency and low-maintenance. Browse our selection of bulbs looking for the published wattage equivalency. As it does for most things, your age also factors into the equation of how much light you need. In our younger days, we could easily read by the glow of a 60W bulb and think nothing of it. But if you’ve often thought “Why is it so dark in here?” when you’re trying to read a restaurant menu, you know that dimness can cause eye strain, fatigue, and frustration, so you might want to level up the lumens a bit. A warmer color temperature of 2700K–3000K will give you that cozy reading nook feeling. Even though you want ample light, make sure it’s not too much to cause glare. Excessive brightness may cause squinting or discomfort and can even trigger a dreaded headache.
Now if you’re grading papers or studying up for a big exam, you’ll want to cool down the color temperature of the light. Studies have shown that whiter color temperatures in the 3500K–4500K range improve focus and concentration. Wattages will likely be the same or similar to the warmer bulbs mentioned above, but the perceived brightness form the color temperature that more closely mimics natural daylight will help to keep you alert. As in the relaxing scenario, be sure not to drift too high on the Kelvin scale as prolonged exposure to the blue light in temperatures greater than 5000K can be detrimental to your eye health and cause permanent damage.
It should also be noted that many fixtures and smart bulbs now are customizable, meaning you can change not only the brightness with the use of a compatible dimmer, but also the color temperature. While it’s not something you want to be doing every day, it’s nice to know that if you have a need to change the light color in a room, you can do it without installing all new fixtures.
More of an electronic media enthusiast? The blue light emitted from your tablet, phone, or laptop is the kind we’re talking about being bad for you. Check the settings on your device . . . oftentimes there is an optional “night mode” or a blue light filter. You might even be able to program it to go on and off at certain times of the day. Limit your blue light exposure in the few hours right before you head to bed. Blue light keeps your body from producing the proper amount of melatonin, so it can hamper your sleep.
Getting your reading light right is important. If you’re still unsure about choosing correctly, give us a call and speak with one of our certified lighting specialists at 1-800-624-4488 or try the convenient pop-up chat at the bottom corner of our web pages.
