Let There Be Lux
We often think about light in terms of warmth or brightness—but there's a measurable quality to light that plays a much deeper role in our health: lux. Lux is a unit that measures light intensity, and it directly influences everything from our energy and mood to hormones, sleep, and metabolism. In a world where we spend most of our time indoors, understanding lux can help us reconnect with a more natural rhythm and support our physiological needs. Here's a simple breakdown of why lux matters—and how to get more of the right kind of light in your daily life.
Lux is a measure of light intensity or brightness. It’s one of the ways we need to consider and assess our light environment in addition to measuring wavelengths and temperature.
Lux impacts energy, hormones, metabolism, weight, appetite, mood and more.
We need regular exposure of 500 to 10,000 lux for optimal physiological and psychological processes.
Indoor light averages from 300 - 500 lux.
Outdoor light averages from 500 to 100,000 lux (up to 500K at the equator).
Indoor lighting doesn’t have a bright enough lux to meet our physiological needs.
I measured the lux outside facing the sun at 6pm (9985 lux).
And indoors in front of a window facing the sun at the same time (437 lux) — Huge difference!
Even on a cloudy or rainy day we can get 1500 - 30,000 lux (much more than indoor light).
Anything over 10 lux at night can disrupt melatonin production. The lamp (with incandescent bulb) by my bed measured 11 lux. The angle of the lighting into your eyes plays into the lux measurement. (I’m rocking my @frownies in that photo. 😆)
Interestingly, a full moon is only .05 - .1 lux! But outdoor lighting can create too much lux and disrupt melatonin.
Get more lux in your life!
Morning lux of 2500+ is important
Take midday “light breaks” to get 10,000 lux
Keep lux low at night
*all measurements were taken using @mycircadianapp