New study looking at lighting’s effect on health and sleep

The US Energy Department provides $1.6M for Thomas Jefferson and Tulane to examine whether tunable blue during the day can boost wellbeing.

The university will examine lighting’s impact on health and sleep, in a two-part, three-year project in partnership with Tulane University School of Medicine.

There is a connection to energy and energy consumption. The researchers will be comparing sleep-related effects of conventional fluorescent lighting with more energy-efficient LED lighting, which also happens to be tunable.

Participants will live around the clock in Jefferson’s Light Research Lab for a week under fluorescent lights through the day and into the evening until bedtime. The lab has workspaces and beds.