Reading at night can be a relaxing way to end the day and quieten your mind, helping you to get a good night's sleep. When we were young, we were all warned that reading in poor light would ruin our eyesight, however doctors have agreed that there is no evidence that poor reading light can damage vision over time. It can, however cause negative short-term effects including eye strain and headaches. Choosing the right lighting can make reading in bed much more comfortable, and also help you to relax.
One important thing to think about when choosing the lighting for reading is getting evenly distributed levels of light. A common mistake is to have one extremely bright bedside lamp, fully focused in one place with pitch black everywhere else. This can cause your pupils to dilate from the dark when looking around and can make your eyes become fatigued.
As you get older, you may need to use a brighter light for reading at night. This is simply because our eyesight gets worse with age. Therefore you need to increase the wattage as you get older. A 10 year old may be able to read with a 40 watt standard bulb (equivalent of a 6W LED bulb), but a 60 year old may need a 75 or 100 watt standard bulb (equivalent of 13W-18W in LED terms). Keep in mind though that too much light or glare can be bad too. If reading at night with a bright light is giving you a headache or making your eyes tired, use a shade or switch to a less bright light.
For an idea of how the wattage of incandescent standard bulbs relates to modern LED lighting, see the table below:
Light Bulb Colour Temperature
Colour temperature is also very important when considering which bulb to choose for bedtime reading. The important thing is to remember that you need to see the words clearly. However you don't want to be over-stimulated by bright cool light.
A nice warm white or sunset white can provide a relaxing tone. Anything above 3000K may be a bit too much for bedtime reading. Bulbs that have a higher colour temperature look closer to daylight. Bulbs with a lower colour temperature tend to have the colour of a candle.
Using a smartphone or tablet in bed at night can have a negative impact on your sleep. This is because ocular light exposure disrupts your body’s natural ability to produce melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone produced by the pineal gland that helps you to fall asleep. Using a smartphone that produces ocular light at night can therefore throw your body clock out of rhythm.
Basically, when you look at a smartphone or tablet at night time, you’re tricking your body into thinking you are looking at sunlight and should therefore be awake. It is the bright, blue light emitted by the devices that really causes the issue. Many newer smartphones have features that detect when it is close to bedtime. They then change the brightness and colour temperature, so you don’t disrupt your body clock.
If you choose a light bulb that has a high colour temperature, for example, a bluey, white daylight bulb, you could easily trick your body into thinking it is daytime and, whilst you may be able to clearly see the book, you could ruin your sleep. A more orangey, warm bulb will help to eliminate this problem.
Your choice may come down to personal preference though. So if your current bulb is giving you a headache, consider changing to a different colour temperature or a less powerful bulb.
Yes! We stock a wide variety of bulbs in different fittings, with a variety of different colour temperatures.
We don't just stock different colour temperature bulbs, we also do dim to warm downlights. These innovative light bulbs allow you to change the colour temperature of your lights from a functional cool light, to a more comfortable warm reading light through the use of a dimmer.
Choosing the right lighting can make reading in bed much more comfortable, and also help you to relax. We look at some of the best light bulbs for reading at night.
If you've been looking for LED light bulbs, you may have noticed that they often come with a colour temperature rating. This is in the format of a number, followed by a K, and occasionally with a description like Warm White. Like many people, you may be wondering what it means and which colour temperature you should go for.
You may have noticed that some lights give off a yellow coloured, warm light, whereas others give off a cooler, whiter light. Some bulbs seem to have a more natural daylight feel to them whereas others have a sunset or darker glow; this is due to their colour temperature.
The colour temperature of a bulb describes the appearance of its light. White is the common colour of light that most bulbs emit, but that white light can range from warm (a more orangey colour) to cool (a bluey white colour). LED lights generally provide a wide range of colour temperatures to choose from, including the warm white colour of traditional incandescent bulbs.
Colour temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin on a scale from 1000 to 10000. So when you see the number 3000K or 4100K for example, the K stands for Kelvins. Bulbs with a lower temperature will have a warmer light. So a bright, blue/white, cool bulb will have a higher value than a traditional sunset yellow.
Traditional incandescent bulbs tend to be closer to the temperature of candlelight, which sits around 2000K and sunlight sits around 6000k. As you can see in the picture below, the colour of the light changes as the colour temperature changes.
It's important that you get the right colour temperature for the setting. Some rooms in your home may suit a warm white as it can be a lot more relaxing, but a cool white works when you need to clearly see colours.
1800K Sunset White
Sunset white bulbs give off a vintage style light and looks beautiful and warm, but may not suit the kitchen or other working area, as the colours of the food may not be as easy to determine. They work well in rooms where you want to create an atmosphere or ambience.
Suitable for living rooms, restaurants or other spaces where people relax, and appreciate vintage style.
3000K Warm White
Warm white covers 2000K - 3000K and has a warm inviting glow, suitable for bedrooms (as a cooler white can have a negative effect on our sleep); bathrooms; dining rooms; living rooms and also in commercial ambient spaces like restaurants. This sort of light looks a little cooler than our vintage Edison style bulbs, but still feels very warm. This light may not look ideal for working situations.
4100K Cool White
This is a cooler white. Cool white ranges from 3100-4500K and gives of a bluey whiter, brighter light. Suitable for situations and places in which good visibility is needed. It works well in the kitchen, as you'll be able to clearly see the colour of your food. Anywhere where work is being completed can benefit from a cooler white like Horizon Daylight, for example offices, garages and basements. If you want to be fully awake and alert in any part of your home, choose a cooler white.
4600K-6500K Daylight
Bulbs that have a colour temperature of over 4600K are suitable for areas in which you want full visibility. These could be work spaces, display areas or garages but often look too cold and sterile for the home environment. They can also work well for security lighting.
How will the different colour temperatures look?
The below photos show the same room, with 3 different colour temperatures:
Whilst warm and cool white can both cover a range of colour temperatures, cool tends to sit around 4000k and warm around 3000k. Cool is better for seeing colours clearly and is ideal for task lighting, in the kitchen, office or anywhere else where clear visibility is needed. Warm white allows for visibility, but has a slightly warmer, more orange tone, suited for lounges, living rooms and social areas.
In the living room, you want to be able to relax, but also see fairly clearly. Therefore a warm white of around 2700k to 3000k provides a level of light that isn't over stimulating. It is often also a good idea to choose a warmer light (e.g. 1800k) for a lamp, to give you the option of a more relaxing, ambient atmosphere if needed.
Yes, 3000k (and around it) is often known as warm white, but sometimes called soft white too.
Cool daylight is on the cooler side of the daylight range. So sits around 6700k-7000k.
Yes! We stock Dim to Warm downlights, Instead of dimming the brightness, these handy downlights shift from cool to warm lighting with the use of a dimmer switch, perfect for rooms that are used for both tasks and relaxing.
If you’ve been looking for LED light bulbs, you may have noticed that they often come with a colour temperature rating. This is in the format of a number, followed by a K, and occasionally with a description like Warm White. Like many people, you may be wondering what it means and which colour temperature […]