You’ve traded that stale overhead office fluorescent for the warm lights of your home. Instead of too-white, too-bright desk spotlights and screens, you are working from home and illuminating your desk or table with natural sunlight or some warm-tone lamps. There’s no argument that your home’s lighting is more comfortable than most offices — but that calming spectrum of light may be wreaking havoc on your at-home productivity. 

Avoid harsh fluorescent light such as what you experience in an office building, as too much or too little light can lead to eye strain, tiredness, and even headaches. Now that your home doubles as a workspace, you need to find a versatile lighting solution that works for both productivity and day-to-day life. 

Soak Up the Sun

The best kind of light is the cheapest and (depending on where you live) the most abundant. Position your desk near a bright window. Multiple studies show that people who work in sunlit offices feel less drowsy and report less eye strain and headaches than people who work entirely in artificial light. Be sure to position your desk thoughtfully, however, as too much sunlight could cast a glare on your screen. 

LEDs are Your Friend 

If you can’t rely on sunlight every day to light up your workspace, investing in some LED lights is the next best thing. LEDs are more energy-efficient than halogen and fluorescent lights, and they come in a much wider variety of options. A nice LED ring light offers many benefits to the at-home office, including making you look like a model during video calls. Most ring lights can be adjusted for warmer or cooler lighting and brighter or dimmer, giving you plenty of options to get your lighting just right.

Smart LED bulbs also make for a great investment, allowing you to change brightness, light temperature, and even color from your smartphone or smart speakers like Alexa. The same bulbs can give you a bright, professional space during the day and shift your home to a colorful, relaxing oasis after hours. 

Snag a Blue Light Filter 

Whether working in an office or at home, extended exposure to blue light — which is released by screens, artificial lights, and even sunlight — can be the root cause of fatigue, sore eyes, and headaches during the workday. Consider lights with warmer options to dim out harmful blue light, turn on your computer’s blue light filter if there is an option, and even consider picking up a pair of blue-light filter glasses. 

C&W Energy Solutions offers blue-light filtered LEDs to light up your space without harmful blue light. Learn more about our office and facility lighting solutions at https://www.cwenergyusa.com.