More light measurements
My office lighting is roughly two steps lower than sunrise light.
I retrieved my light meter's manual to get a conversion to lux. Just after Sunrise lux measurements are at 5000. With additional lighting in my cubicle lux measurement goes from 1300 to 2600.
Not quite there but better than 700 without additional lighting using only overhead lights.
More measurements are in order to get an good average. It was cloudy this morning so I'm not getting quite as bright readings. UV measurements are also necessary to get the whole picture on light exposure.
I woke up as usual at around 5:00 but was a little more tired than usual. I'm thinking I'll have to move my floor lamp to my office because it is brighter than my desk lamps. We'll see what other tweaking I have to do.
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July 29, 2008
Still cloudy but I have a better handle on lux measurements. My light meter readings are EV (Exposure Value) readings which need to be converted. With the meter on the floor, readings are at EV 6.2. That tranlates into 160 lux. That's very dark. As I raise the meter to my desktop level EV readings are 7.7 to 8.4. Those readings tranlsate to 400-900 lux. Just a little above sunrise which Wikipedia reports as being 400 lux.
The link here shows a table that converts EV values to Lux:
http://www.sekonic.com/support/support_2.asp#
The brightest spots on my cubicle read EV 9.x which translate to 1300-1800 lux. Without my additional lighting I go back to EV 7.4 which puts me back to 450 lux. Quite dark and not really noticeable because our eyes adjust. This low level of light while pleasant does not trigger the suppression of melatonin levels sufficiently so that feeling drowsy may last longer than needed. Coffee is the answer most seek which is probably not the best way to deal with this issue.
More measurements coming..
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July 30, 2008
We experienced an earthquake at around noon, we are asked to leave the building so we all got a little sunshine. Problem is that around noon the UV levels are quite high. The weather service alert I receive posted an alert of 11+ The safe range is five or below. This link: http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvalert.html provides more information on UV index.
Getting enough sunlight is becoming a very delicate dance; but remembering that UV radiation is best avoided during the hours of 10:00AM and 4:00PM should give us plenty of light before and after. This morning for example the EV reading on my meter at 7:30AM was 10.6, a healthy 3600 lux. No UV worries at that time and the clouds presented an excellent soft light photo opportunity.
I'm waiting for a special light source called the LiteBook. Supposedly it improves energy, mood and a few other things. I'm giving it a try. The most appropriate time for testing it will be during the mid-afternoon when my body temperature drops and I feel the need to sleep. I would take a nap, I have a break during that time but it's very difficult to find a quiet spot to this in the shade.
Since I started applying some of the principles of light therapy (unbeknown to myself), my level of energy has improved. Most days I get up without an alarm as I have mentioned. The only change to this is when I wake up in the middle of a dream and can't go back to sleep.
Last night's dream is a case in point. I woke up in the middle of a brawl (in my dream), and I took a swing at one of the ruffians in my dream. I hit the night stand with my left fist, full on. I'm still hurting this morning. Since I woke up at 3:00AM yesterday, it changed for one day my energy levels. Then the earthquake hit, did not go to the gym and I was done. My energy levels were lower than usual in the afternoon.
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August 2, 2008
This is the first real sunny mid day I've measured. The EVs starting from inside my home were 3,9, at the porch 7.9, underneath the shade of my Mulberry tree 9.6. At the edge of the shade. 11.6. Full sunlight 15.6.
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August 9, 2008
Bright sunny day, I was out getting some light by 5:30AM and stayed out until 7:00AM when I finished my kettle bell workout.
I've received my litebook elite. This little device emulates sunlight without the UV radiation. I use in my office and at home since it's portable. it's hard to tell about the energy benefits so far since I'm getting as much light as I can during the day. In any case my dear wife is on the bandwagon. It takes about 30 days to start seeing results. The real test will be in the fall when it gets darker earlier.
I retrieved my light meter's manual to get a conversion to lux. Just after Sunrise lux measurements are at 5000. With additional lighting in my cubicle lux measurement goes from 1300 to 2600.
Not quite there but better than 700 without additional lighting using only overhead lights.
More measurements are in order to get an good average. It was cloudy this morning so I'm not getting quite as bright readings. UV measurements are also necessary to get the whole picture on light exposure.
I woke up as usual at around 5:00 but was a little more tired than usual. I'm thinking I'll have to move my floor lamp to my office because it is brighter than my desk lamps. We'll see what other tweaking I have to do.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 29, 2008
Still cloudy but I have a better handle on lux measurements. My light meter readings are EV (Exposure Value) readings which need to be converted. With the meter on the floor, readings are at EV 6.2. That tranlates into 160 lux. That's very dark. As I raise the meter to my desktop level EV readings are 7.7 to 8.4. Those readings tranlsate to 400-900 lux. Just a little above sunrise which Wikipedia reports as being 400 lux.
The link here shows a table that converts EV values to Lux:
http://www.sekonic.com/support/support_2.asp#
The brightest spots on my cubicle read EV 9.x which translate to 1300-1800 lux. Without my additional lighting I go back to EV 7.4 which puts me back to 450 lux. Quite dark and not really noticeable because our eyes adjust. This low level of light while pleasant does not trigger the suppression of melatonin levels sufficiently so that feeling drowsy may last longer than needed. Coffee is the answer most seek which is probably not the best way to deal with this issue.
More measurements coming..
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 30, 2008
We experienced an earthquake at around noon, we are asked to leave the building so we all got a little sunshine. Problem is that around noon the UV levels are quite high. The weather service alert I receive posted an alert of 11+ The safe range is five or below. This link: http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvalert.html provides more information on UV index.
Getting enough sunlight is becoming a very delicate dance; but remembering that UV radiation is best avoided during the hours of 10:00AM and 4:00PM should give us plenty of light before and after. This morning for example the EV reading on my meter at 7:30AM was 10.6, a healthy 3600 lux. No UV worries at that time and the clouds presented an excellent soft light photo opportunity.
I'm waiting for a special light source called the LiteBook. Supposedly it improves energy, mood and a few other things. I'm giving it a try. The most appropriate time for testing it will be during the mid-afternoon when my body temperature drops and I feel the need to sleep. I would take a nap, I have a break during that time but it's very difficult to find a quiet spot to this in the shade.
Since I started applying some of the principles of light therapy (unbeknown to myself), my level of energy has improved. Most days I get up without an alarm as I have mentioned. The only change to this is when I wake up in the middle of a dream and can't go back to sleep.
Last night's dream is a case in point. I woke up in the middle of a brawl (in my dream), and I took a swing at one of the ruffians in my dream. I hit the night stand with my left fist, full on. I'm still hurting this morning. Since I woke up at 3:00AM yesterday, it changed for one day my energy levels. Then the earthquake hit, did not go to the gym and I was done. My energy levels were lower than usual in the afternoon.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 2, 2008
This is the first real sunny mid day I've measured. The EVs starting from inside my home were 3,9, at the porch 7.9, underneath the shade of my Mulberry tree 9.6. At the edge of the shade. 11.6. Full sunlight 15.6.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 9, 2008
Bright sunny day, I was out getting some light by 5:30AM and stayed out until 7:00AM when I finished my kettle bell workout.
I've received my litebook elite. This little device emulates sunlight without the UV radiation. I use in my office and at home since it's portable. it's hard to tell about the energy benefits so far since I'm getting as much light as I can during the day. In any case my dear wife is on the bandwagon. It takes about 30 days to start seeing results. The real test will be in the fall when it gets darker earlier.
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