Light-bulb color temperature suggestions

[Tyler391]

I had an experience this weekend that moved me to write this post in hopes that it can gain some traction and awareness about proper indoor lighting and bulb temperature colors.

I had an exceptional experience with a host, and gave them 5 stars overall because they genuinely deserved the rating, but there was one big problem for me.

All of the lights inside the house were daylight bulbs, which during the daytime is OK.  At night however, it made what would be a very nice house feel like a warehouse lit with fluorescent lights and had to turn them all off except for one, which was still too bright. 

There are studies that show that blue light (daytime bulbs) can even interfere with your sleep cycle when encountered after sunset.  Further reading: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side

I've never hosted so I'm not sure if this is already a suggestion, but hosts should be following this guide for choosing light bulbs for rooms and spaces: https://www.ledspot.com/ls-commercial-lighting-info/led-lighting/led-color-temperatures/

My personal preferences:

Living areas should never be more than 3000K
Bathrooms and kitchens should never be more than 3500K
Never use anything more than 3500K indoors, except a garage or shop.

Putting a 5000K light bulbs in every living space is just asking for headaches and sleep issues.

Let me know your thoughts!

[Sarah977]

I hate those "cool light" bulbs myself. I use "warm" LEDs everywhere and in most places the equivalent of 75W.  I prefer to use a lot of light fixtures and lamps so the lighting can be adjusted to one's preference, rather than strong bulbs that light up the entire area.

@Tyler391

[Anonymous]

@Tyler391   Color-temperature issues are helpful to be aware of, and it's the kind of thing you might consider mentioning in your private feedback to the host. But it's also a subjective design decision, and not one that fits what's readily available to hosts in many parts of the world that don't have a Home Depot at their disposal.

The better chain hotels are very good at standardizing these lighting details, and that's worth considering if that's important to your sleep. But if you're choosing an Airbnb instead, part of the deal is that you're in someone's house and not a standardized environment.