After the Covid-19 Pandemic, many people had to make a shift to working from home. Working from home has its own challenges, and while it may seem easy, it can sometimes be even more difficult to manage. You must create the ideal home office environment to be able to manage working from home. one very important feature in a home office is optimum lighting. Lighting in the office setting is very important and must not be overlooked. We will discuss the importance of lighting in the workplace and tips on how to improve lighting in your home office.
Importance Of Good Lighting While Working
Lighting in the office space while working is extremely important. While the best kind of illumination is that which comes from natural light, there needs to be ergonomic indoor lighting as well for when natural light begins to dim. Whether you are working in the office or from your home office, you must take measures to ensure there is enough lighting in your workspace. There are many benefits to working in the right kind of lighting:
Reduces Eye Strain
Working in an environment where the lighting is dim can put a lot of strain on the eyes and makes it difficult to focus. Our eyes need light to create images on the retina to allow us to see. Therefore, in the presence of minimal light, the eye muscles have to work harder, causing them to become fatigued and overworked. Symptoms of tired eyes are:
Itchiness
Discomfort
Blurred vision
Increased sensitivity to light
Keeps You Alert
Our circadian rhythm is the body's natural sleep and wake-up cycle that is regulated by the release of a hormone called melatonin in the body. Melatonin is affected by the amount of light that enters our eyes. The more light there is the more delayed melatonin release, and the darker it gets, the sooner melatonin is released. In dim light, there is a rise in the release of melatonin, which causes the person to become drowsy and reduces their focus. Sitting in natural or artificial light that mimics natural light keeps melatonin at bay, improves focus in the person, and keeps them alert while on the job.
Improves Your Mood
Our mood is regulated by various hormones and neurotransmitters triggered in our brains due to our surroundings. Serotonin is a mood booster that is light-sensitive. When a person is exposed to bright light, serotonin is released in the body, which triggers happiness neurotransmitters in the brain, causing the person's mood to be better and uplifted. Dark and gloomy environments can dull a person down and cause them to be depressed.
Reduces Headaches
Our eye muscles, like all other muscles in our body, tend to become fatigued and overworked in dim lighting. Working in dim light for prolonged hours can put unnecessary strain on the eye muscles causing them to work harder to focus in minimal light. This can cause the eye muscles to become overworked and fatigued, resulting in headaches. This is the most common cause of headaches in the workplace.
How To Brighten Up A Room Without The Use Of Lighting?
Paint The Walls And Ceilings White Or A Light Color
Using a matte finish and light-colored paint on the walls and ceilings in your room will reflect light and make the room appear lighter and brighter. Darker colors tend to absorb light and make the room look dark and gloomy. Make use of lighter colors such as whites, beiges, ash, and mint green to make the room appear clean and bright.
Incorporate Natural Light Into Your Home As Much As Possible
Your home office should be in the room in your home that is not next to another room; rather, it opens into the outdoors. This way, you can add many large windows in the room to allow the maximum amount of sunlight to naturally illuminate the room. Skylights should be added where possible to allow overhead lighting as well. Natural light is the best kind of light; the more use you can make of natural light, the better it is for your eyes and lighter on your pocket.
Create Diffused Light
Since direct sunlight can create glare on your screens and in your eyes and make it harder to focus with a glare, screens and frosted glass can be used to create diffused light. Diffusing the light means distributing it effectively without obstructing it. If there are large windows and skylights, screens and frosting can be added to the glass windows to minimize glare while still allowing the workspace to be completely lit up with natural light.
Tips To Improve Lighting In The Office
As mentioned above, proper lighting in the workplace is of extreme importance as it can have many benefits, such as:
Improved work quality
Reduced eye strain and headaches
Improved mood
Better focus
Keeping all the benefits of improved lighting in the workplace, here are some great options for artificial lighting in the home office.
Create A Dedicated Space
You should pick a spot in the house to reserve to make your home office. This spot should be carefully chosen and should ideally have the following features:
Next to a window
This will allow the maximum amount of light to enter the room while you work
Should have good air circulation
The spot should not be directly under the fan or the air conditioning but not even too far away from it that it gets hot. It should be comfortable
It should be a quiet spot
The room you are in should be a quiet spot around the house so that you don't get distracted
It should not be cluttered or messy
Your workspace should ideally be clean and clutter-free. The cleaner the space, the more organized and efficient you can be while you work.
It should be close to the main area of the house
If you are a parent and need to keep a watch on the kids while you work, it is best to choose a room that is not too far away from the kids' room or the lounge where the main activities are going around the house.
Use Of Natural Light
As mentioned above, incorporate skylights and large windows to bring in as much natural light as possible
See Green
You should look away from the monitor screen every 30 minutes and rest your eyes. The best way to refresh your eyes is to look at plants and grass. Seeing green is meant to have a calming and soothing effect on the eyes. It is best to have a window nearby so you can look out into the garden or trees.
Use Task Lighting
If your work requires intense focus, such as typing on the keyboard, doing paperwork, or similar, then it is best to have task lighting for dedicated tasks. This is best achieved by using desk lamps that can be placed directly above the task you are performing. These are portable, can be moved around, and have adjustable heights and angles that can be set according to the way you want.
FlexiSpot has some of the best lamps that can be placed in your home office to provide you with the best lighting and improve efficiency in the workplace.
Floor Lamps
Floor lamps are great for illuminating rooms and can be placed easily in any corner of the room. FlexiSpot has excellent floor lamp options that you can consider when choosing the lighting for your home office.
Over Head Lighting
Overhead lighting fixtures can be placed on the ceiling with LED lights to ensure there is sufficient lighting to illuminate the entire room.
LED Lights Mimic Natural Light
LED lights should be used in fixtures to create the best illusion of natural light. They are bright white lights that resemble white lights and should be placed everywhere in the room to create a bright and well-lit environment, even during the evening time when the sun has gone down.
Proper Work Desk And Office Chair
It is not recommended to sit, make your dining table, kitchen counter or your bed your work station. They are not designed to be office desks. You should invest in a proper ergonomic office desk and chair which is meant to maintain the correct posture, reduce back pain and ensure that your workstation is at the correct height. Visit Flexispot for the best ergonomic office furniture that you can place in your home.
The Final Word
Optimum lighting while doing office work or any other focus-intensive task is very important. Without proper lighting, you can suffer from eye strain, discomfort, lethargy, and drowsiness, causing your performance to suffer and work quality to decrease. When considering making a home office, be sure to pay attention to the lighting for an overall improvement in health and work quality. FlexiSpot has some of the best lighting solutions for your home office. You can visit their website and view their options today.
