Evaluating the Potentials of Biodynamic Lighting for Home Office Workers

The practice of working from home was widespread well before the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic; The Covid-19 pandemic pressed the fast-forward button on this trend. One of the biggest business concerns associated with working from home is how to maintain employees' productivity. Lighting has been proven as the main environmental element that significantly impacts office workers' health, sleep, mood, comfort, cognitive functions, and, consequently, productivity. One unintended aspect of working from home is the reduction in light exposure, especially in the contrast between the daytime and evening.

The effect of lighting on the office workers, including those working from home, could be roughly divided into two categories: visual route and non-visual route. Both visual and non-visual routes have received significant attention from researchers over the past decade. Yet, current literature lacks research involving a comprehensive approach that systematically evaluates the potential of biodynamic lighting interventions in home workplaces. None of the previous studies have evaluated lighting conditions in the home workplaces nor investigated the effects of lighting interventions on the health and productivity of adults working from home. With the rapid increase in the number of people moving to work from home, special attention should be paid to the lighting condition in home offices and its impacts on these workers.

This study examines the effectiveness of a biodynamic lighting intervention on the sleep, cognitive functions, and alertness of adults working from home. The biodynamic intervention is an innovative lighting solution that intends to harness both visual and non-visual effects of lighting through delivering varying intensities and spectra during working hours according to a preset protocol. Additionally, this study aims to compare the homeworkers' lighting conditions, impacts, and daily light exposure and how it is relevant to their sleep pattern and health. The specific aims of this study include:

• Aim 1: Examine the potential benefits of applying a biodynamic lighting condition in home offices for promoting sleep, cognitive functions, and alertness in remote workers.
• Aim 2: Objectively explore remote workers' daily light exposure pattern and model its relationship with their sleep quality.

Findings from this interdisciplinary study will provide insight into the potential benefits of applying biodynamic lighting in home workplaces for improving health and well-being in remote workers. Findings will also assist the lighting industry in providing necessary lighting technology and products aligned with the uprising trend of working from home.

Inclusion criteria

• Have an occupation of a dayshift (i.e., occurring between 6 AM and 8 PM) remote office worker, working from home for five days (Monday→Friday) a week with a maximum of 12 hours per day
• Good health [self-reported medical history]
• No evidence of sleep disorders [Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores >5 are excluded]
• No extreme chronotypes (extreme owl or lark) [Morningness-Evningness Questionnaire (MEQ) scores >70 or <30 are excluded; typical bedtime between 8 PM and 2 AM]
• Normal color vision [as per Ishihara's Tests for Colour Deficiency]
• No current or planned use of light therapy or light-altering devices (e.g., blue-blocking and/or tinted glasses and contact lenses)
• No planned upcoming travel during the study participation period
• Not pregnant

Exclusion criteria

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