Red light for better sleep

The Color Red for a good Night’s Sleep? – the design team for a nursing home in New York used a recent corridor lighting upgrade as an opportunity to test current research into the effects of light and color on health.  The results were published in the Oct 2012 issue of LD+A Magazine and are summarized on Advanced Lighting Guidelines – ALG Online.

The introduction of red night lighting proved to prevent sleep disturbances associated with the opening and closing of doors onto the corridor. As a result, improvements were noted in the areas of sleep, health and behavior. For sleep this included sleeping through the night, longer waking time during the day, and reduced insomnia.

Health improvements included “Lower incidence of illness (flu, colds)” and “Sustained reduction and stabilization of systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.” Cited benefits to behavior included “lower incidence of night wandering,” “hallucinations ceased,” “aggression diminished,” “improved lucidity,” and “increased social participation.”