I have studied the relationship between light and sleep and how light affects our circadian rhythm. I have chosen to focus on lighting for private spaces.

My master’s project has given me new knowledge about lighting and the effect that light has on us, right down to the existential level. I have discovered Human Centric Lighting, a school of lighting design that arose from the research of professor David M. Berson, at the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University, among others. In 2002, Professor Berson and his colleagues discovered intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) in the eye. These cells contain the light-sensitive photopigment melanopsin. This photopigment have nothing to do with vision, but tell the brain whether it is light or dark, and they control our circadian rhythm. Human Centric Lighting is about the visual, emotional and biological effects that lighting has on us. The light with which we surround ourselves stimulates and influences our mood, activity level and sleep, among other things. Human Centric Lighting can be lighting that changes throughout the day, using variation in the colour spectrum and intensity to mimic natural light.

In the development of my design, I have used knowledge and experience drawn from other people’s research on light and sleep, as well as my own experiments with light and materials.

The result is a series of lighting objects: a hanging lamp, a table lamp and a lighted mirror.

All three products have dynamic lighting that changes from a daylight-like light during the day to a calming light for evening use. The hanging lamp and table lamp are primarily designed for use in the room where you spend the last few hours before going to bed. The lighted mirror is designed for the bathroom, and provides a light that does not influence the sleep hormone melatonin when you are getting ready for bed. This means that you can brush your teeth in virtual darkness.

Sleep problems are very widespread, so much so that the Norwegian Institute of Public Health calls them one of the country’s most overlooked public health problems. Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are an important cause of sleep problems. That is why I believe we can all benefit from becoming more aware of the effects of the light we surround ourselves with. The products can contribute to the prevention of circadian rhythm sleep disorders.

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