“It was so awesome”

“At one time, I had volunteered for hospice care and I remembered how deeply moved I was by a patient’s failure to thrive. I also remembered attending a lighting conference in 2008 where I learned about lighting used in neonatal intensive care that greatly improved the infants’ ability to thrive.

Putting these two realizations together was my light-bulb moment. If light can improve the lives of newborns what about everyone else? I became extremely interested in learning how light is not the static thing we often think it is. It has been within only the last hundred years that we have subjected ourselves to live with man-made lighting that is static, meaning that it is the same whatever time of day you turn it on, it doesn’t change.

Pushing my findings further, I became immersed in research. I believe in the possibilities that we can use light to improve the lives of our elderly, and those who are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia diseases. With Lumen Element I am able to educate how light can enhance all of our lives.

This journey began in February 2008 when my husband and I purchased Century Lighting.”

– Suzanne Cavanagh, CEO, Owner at Century Lighting Oregon

From her profile on Linked In it is clear that Suzanne Cavanagh is more than a co-owner with her husband, Joe, of a commercial lighting company in Springfield. To hear her speak is to catch her enthusiasm for making a difference with lighting.

Are you checking your cell phone as you head to bed at night? And then unable to fall asleep? Maybe its that blue light emanating from your phone. Scientists of lights and lighting will tell you that light can add 90 minutes to the time your body is ready to go to sleep.

Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night and then been unable to fall back to sleep? The reason may be that bright light on your alarm clock, or the night light that keeps you from stubbing a toe on furniture. That blue light is telling your body its time to wake up.

Maybe it’s the light.

From the blog: https://centurylightingoregon.com/blog/

New Paint, Flooring or Furniture? Check your lighting

The color of your walls, flooring and furniture can change your lighting. Dark colors on the walls, on the floor or in your furniture actually absorbs light. Light colored walls can reflect and intensify the light. If you have changed any of these things and you feel like your lighting is not the same you are correct, it’s not.

In any remodeling of space, lighting needs to be considered. How much lighting do you need? What is the space being used for? Do you want the space to be warm and cozy or bright and crisp? Do you need true color appearance- rendering?

As you are planning to make changes in your home or office be sure to consider how this will affect your light!

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Through the efforts of Suzanne and her blog postings at suzanne@lumenelement.com information is provided addressing many important and interesting facts regarding something many of us pay little attention to; light, its intensity and its color. A single page flyer containing these items:

HUMAN CENTRIC LIGHTING

• Understanding the biological effects of light on our sleep, health, productivity, learning and so much more.
• Our Circadian Rhythm is reset each day by the light we surround ourselves with in the morning.

SLEEP

• Now more than at any other time in history we are sleep deprived and this impacts all areas of our lives.
• We require 8 hours of deep restorative sleep; our pineal gland produces melatonin in direct approximation to the contrast of bright sun exposure we receive during the day and total darkness at night.
• Once the sun sets “blue light” inhibits our sleep. TV’s and computers are a major source of blue light. To help reduce this enable the “Night Shift” on your phones and www.justgetflux.com on your computers. These adjust the colors of light and greatly reduce the blue light from these devices at night.
• Wear Yellow glasses at night. These block the “blue light’ and will help with melatonin production.

Follow Suzanne’s Lumen Element Facebook page for the latest research on the importance of light.