LIGHTING AND HEALTH
Shedding light on psychiatric patients A Norwegian study found that psychiatric patients exposed to blue-blocked lighting in the evening showed clinical improvements and reduced aggression. The study randomly allocated 476 patients admitted for acute inpatient psychiatric care to either the ward with a blue-blocked evening light environment or to the ward with a standard light environment.
researcher and senior consultant psychologist Dr. Håvard Kallestad from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology confirmed: 'Yes, our findings suggest that.' The findings of the study at Saint Olav’s reinforces the growing understanding of the benefits of human-centric lighting.
In 2017, St. Olav’s Hospital in Østmarka, east of Trondheim, Norway, opened a new acute psychiatric unit featuring two identical wards. Both wards have the same layout, staffing, and facilities—but differ in evening lighting: one uses standard lighting, while the other uses blue-blocked lighting, which removes blue wavelengths known to impact circadian rhythms. Lighting supplier Glamox equipped the facility with a range of advanced lighting systems, including connected LED downlights, recessed ceiling fixtures, suspended and wallmounted luminaires, as well as outdoor lighting. A recently published study in PLOS Medicine followed 476 patients admitted for acute psychiatric care. Each patient was randomly assigned to either the standard-lit ward or the ward with blue-blocked evening light. All received identical care and stayed for a median of four days. The study offered compelling insights into the potential benefits of tailored lighting for psychiatric care. 'We observed that patients admitted to the blue-blocked light environment showed additional clinical improvement and exhibited less aggressive behaviour during their stay,' the researchers wrote. Norway’s national broadcaster NRK covered the study on its evening news. When asked whether the lighting adjustments helped make patients healthier, lead 40
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While the lighting intervention did not shorten hospital stays, the study found that it offered clinically significant benefits—without increasing side effects, reducing patient satisfaction, or requiring more staff. To enable this therapeutic lighting approach, Glamox supplied premium, tuneable LED luminaires integrated with an advanced control system. Staff can manage lighting conditions for each patient using a graphical user interface, adjusting settings individually as needed. The results reinforce growing evidence around the benefits of Human-Centric Lighting (HCL)—lighting systems designed to support human biological rhythms, wellbeing, and performance. 'These benefits, combined with the absence of side effects and the low-intensity nature of the intervention, suggest this strategy is well-suited for broader use—especially in new facilities where lighting systems are being installed from scratch,' the study concluded. Glamox says it has deep expertise in HCL technology, with lighting solutions designed to align with natural circadian rhythms. While it acknowledges that there’s no one-size-fitsall approach, the company has created lighting systems for hospitals, schools, offices, and industrial sites. 'Our lighting supports everything from improving sleep patterns in hospital patients to enhancing concentration in classrooms,' said Anders Bru, Concept Manager for Human Centric Lighting at Glamox. 'We’ve delivered HCL solutions in over 650 projects—and we’re only beginning to explore what this technology can truly achieve.' ■