Cooler and Heater to minimize the

side effects of a heat wave

We are Less Stressed and More

Productive Around Plants

Heat wave effects to human behavior

Respected research done by Dr. Roger S.

Ulrich of Texas A&M University, Helen
Russell, Surrey University, England as well
as those conducted by Dr. Virginia Lohr of
Washington State University verify that
plants significantly lower workplace stress
and enhance worker productivity. In Dr.
Lohrs study, common interior plants were
used in a computer laboratory with 27
computer workstations. A computer
program to test productivity and induce
stress was specifically designed for these
experiments. Participants working in an
environment with plants present were 12
percent more productive and less stressed
than those who worked in an environment
without plants.

Heat waves are related to more

violent behavior and aggression
Heat waves may be associated
with higher drug and alcohol abuse
Anxiety tends to decrease with a
rise in temperatures
Depression and lowered mood
tends to increase with a rise in
temperatures
High levels of humidity which
often accompany a heat wave
lower concentration
High humidity also increases
sleepiness (probably related to
poor sleep)
High humidity also appears related
to a lack of vigor and energy

Green Building.
The effect of indoor environmental quality
(IEQ) in office buildings on employee
health, well-being, and productivity is an
important topic in occupational health and
public health research and practice. IEQ
can negatively affect occupants' physical
health (e.g., asthma exacerbation and
respiratory allergies) through poor air
quality, extreme temperatures, excess
humidity, and insufficient ventilation and
psychological health (e.g., depression and
stress) through inadequate lighting,
acoustics, and ergonomic design. Studies
have shown that employees with such
adverse health conditions are absent more
often, lose more work hours, and are less
productive than employees without these
conditions. The green building is
attempting to address IEQ and employee
health concerns by providing healthier
building environments. Although the claim
that improved IEQ also improves health
and productivity is made in many
qualitative studies and has provided
substantial motivation to build
green, quantitative studies are needed to
validate these relationships.

Lighting
What is the Circadian Rhythm?
Often referred to as the "body clock", the
circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle that
tells our bodies when to sleep and
regulates many other physiological
processes. This internal body clock is
affected by environmental cues, like
sunlight and temperature. When one's
circadian rhythm is disrupted, sleeping
and eating patterns can run amok. A
growing body of research is examining the
adverse health effects a disrupted
circadian rhythm can have, like increasing
the chances of cardiovascualr events,
obesity, and a correlation with
neurological problems like depression and
bipolar disorder.

Light Color Affects Mood

According to studies, scientists claim that
colors directly affect the parts of the
brain that are responsible for emotional

stimulation. When the eyes focus on a

color, the body discharges various
hormones that affect humans physically
and emotionally.
Productivity- Creating balanced
illumination levels through a combination
of indirect/directing lighting strategies
eliminates distracting shadows, allowing
for occupants to work more productively.
Likewise, creating visually stimulating and
engaging lighting environments in nonworkstation like corridors and walkways by
varying light intensities and contrasts can
reenergize passing occupants. A positive
lighting impact on human productivity can
further provide some of the largest
financial benefits within the office as well
Some colors humans are exposed to late
at night could cause symptoms of clinical
depression. That is the conclusion of a
study that builds on previous findings that
individuals exposed to dim levels of light
overnight, such as from a glowing
television set, can develop signs of clinical
depression.
Investigators, curious as to whether the
color of light contributed to depressive
symptoms in humans, designed an
experiment that exposed hamsters to
different colors. They chose hamsters
because they are nocturnal, meaning they
sleep during the day and are active at
night.
One group of hamsters was kept in the
dark during their nighttime period.
Another group of rodents was exposed to
blue light and a third group slept in the
presence of white light. A fourth group of
hamsters was exposed to glowing red
light.
After four weeks, researchers noted how
much sugary water the hamsters drank.
The more depressed rodents consumed
the least amount of water.
Randy Nelson, chair of Ohio State
Universitys Department of Neuroscience
and co-author of the study, said animals

that slept in blue and white light appeared

to be the most depressed.
What we saw is these animals didnt
show any sleep disruptions at all but they
did have mucked up circadian clock genes
and they did show depressive phenotypes
whereas if they were in the dim red light,
they did not, Nelson said.
Nelson explained that photosensitive cells
in the retina, which dont have much to do
with vision, detect light and transmit
signals to the master circadian clock in
the brain that controls the natural sleepwake cycle.
Nelson said theres a lot of blue in white
light, which explains why blue light and
white light hamsters seemed more
depressed than rodents exposed to red
light or darkness.
Nelson had suggestions for so-called
"night owls" or people who work the night
shift.
My recommendation is if you are just
living a typical mostly active [life] during
the day, mostly inactive at night, you want
to limit exposure to TVs which are quite
bluish in the light they give off and
computer screens and things like that,"
stated Nelson. "You can get filtered glass,
you can get filters on your computer
screen and filters on your eReaders to put
it more in the reddish light.
There seems to be an increasing number
of studies suggesting that artificial light
has adverse effects on human health.
While animals have been shown to be
disturbed by artificial light at night, its
effects on humans, it is argued, range
from discomfort and glare to sleep
deprivation and cancer. Lets take a look
at the facts.
It is well known that artificial light,
especially in and around cities, causes
observable problems to wildlife, at levels
from the individual all the way to an entire
ecosystem. Animals can get disoriented or
blinded; they can run into structures such

as skyscrapers; and their living,

reproductive, and migrating patterns
might get disrupted as well.

disorder spend time since it has a

stimulating effect.
But how can it affect us? We need
this light, dont we?

When the eyes focus on a color,

the body discharges various hormones
that affect humans physically and
emotionally. Senior psychologist Ayben
Ertem who studies colors and psychology
said, "The way we use and combine colors
in our living space affects our living quality
correspondingly with the inducements of
colors in our brain." She pointed out the
soothing and relaxing effect of pink,
adding that color therapy is used at some
prisons and psychiatric hospitals in U.S.
where the walls are painted pink to calm
violent criminals and psychiatric patients.
She said using pink and purple in the
bedrooms is a good idea, and stated, "Pink
and purple are calming colors that
discharge energy.

When you use these colors in bedrooms,

they will help you fall asleep easier." On
the other hand, Ertem informed that red
and orange increase appetite and
encourage eating fast. "However, orange
can be used, though not excessively, in
dining rooms and kitchens since it leads to
deep conversations," Ertem said. She also
mentioned studies about the color blue.
According to research, blue is an appetite
suppressant that also decreases the pulse;
hence, it can be used in the kitchens of
people who that have weight problems.
Ertem added that overweight people can
hang blue magnets on the fridge to keep
them away from it. She recommends not
using yellow in kids' rooms saying,
"According to the studies, it is determined
that when yellow is used in babies' rooms
those babies tend to cry more. Using red,
blue and yellow harmoniously together is
ideal for a boy's room. On the other hand,
green, lilac, light blue and light yellow are
feminine, calming but lively at the same
time for the girls." Ertem further noted
that red should not be used heavily in
places where children with hyperactivity

The human body like all living organisms

on Earth, in fact runs on an internal clock
that regulates our functions, our sleep, our
behavior, etc. This precise biological
pattern is aptly named a circadian rhythm,
from the latin circa (approximately) and
dia (day), as it is programmed within us,
within our genes, to follow the 24 hours of
a day.
However, it can also react to external
stimuli. And light, in fact, is the main
factor that can advance or delay the
circadian rhythm. The Sun is responsible
for regulating this mechanism and serves
as the basis for the circadian rhythms.
More precisely, daylight will inhibit the
production of melatonin, the hormone that
promotes drowsiness and sleep. When the
sun sets, your body starts producing this
hormone and you gradually feel sleepier
and your body temperature lowers as it
accumulates. Then as morning approaches
and daylight comes, melatonin levels fall
and you wake. The production of
melatonin based on darkness is even
observed among nocturnal creatures.
You can feel the effects it has when you
travel and suffer from jet lag. While you
may take only a few days to adjust and
sleep at the right time, your body wont
and your biological clock will remain out of
sync longer before it finally recalibrates.
Another noticeable effect occurs in regions
farther from the equator, when days
become shorter by fall equinox and
through wintertime. A non-negligible
percentage of people say they feel more
depressed, have less energy, and find it
difficult to wake up. This Seasonal
Affective Disorder, also known as winter
blues, is the result of an over-production of
melatonin, due to a lack of light.

The biological clock has also been

reported to function at a different pace
when people are in isolation, with no time
reference and no light cycles to simulate
day and night. Such effects can also be
felt by workers changing from day shift to
night shift, struggling to sleep when its
time, or by people suffering from Delayed
Sleep Phase Syndrome, who go to bed
without falling asleep for hours.
Where it becomes an even more important
concern is that it has been known for over
a hundred years that cell division inside
the body follows a circadian rhythm, we
have just explained that the circadian
rhythm is affected by light, and we also
know that damage to cell division is
characteristic of cancer. You do the math

Studies have shown that mice, when

exposed to unnatural patterns of artificial
light, developed certain problems related
to their cell division and also to the
transcription of many genes. In other
words, they were in for some major health
problems on the long run, if they remained
exposed to that type of light and so
would we.
What is not clear, however, is the exact
mechanism by which cells and genes are
affected. But until we find out and clarify
this, it is still a fact that we are naturally
conceived to follow the patterns of day
and night. Because half of the world
population lives in and around cities, most
often exposed to the constant orange glow
and sometimes even the direct light of
various fixtures found outside, we can only
imagine how important it is to rethink the
way we use light.
Luminaire manufacturers should strive to
develop more responsible lighting.

Promising solutions include the design of

more precise optical systems to reduce
light pollution; the use of more appropriate
color temperatures; the widespread usage
of intelligent light controls to dim or turn
off the lights when theyre not needed.
Not only will this allow for a more pleasant
environment, it can also help us feel and
live better, while contributing to lower the
risks of major health problems. This is a
very important issue that the lighting
industry as a whole has to proactively
keep an eye on, and adjust to, as we learn
more.