It might not be something that keeps you up at night, but the type of lightbulbs you choose to illuminate your space with could make a significant difference in your living experience, according to content creator and health expert @antonroggo.
Now, he’s trying to spark a lightbulb moment in viewers and get us to switch.
What’s the deal?
One simple swap shared to TikTok by @antonroggo suggests that swapping any LED bulbs in your home for more familiar incandescent bulbs could go far in improving energy levels and overall wellness.
“One of the easiest changes you can make in your house to stop feeling like a zombie isn’t actually food, it’s light bulbs,” he says in the video. “Take your LEDs, throw them out and start using incandescent light bulbs. Your house is going to look so much better, your eyes are going to feel better, you’re going to be way more namaste.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @antonroggo via TikTok direct message and comment regarding the video.
Do incandescent bulbs actually make a difference for wellbeing?
The answer is not a simple yes or no, but incandescent bulbs and bulbs imitating them might have real health benefits.
It has less to do with the type of bulb. Rather, the temperature of the light—whether it is warm or cool, yellow or blue-toned—can help or hinder sleep.
Studies have shown that exposure to warm, yellow-toned light commonly associated with incandescent bulbs can help regulate sleep hormones like melatonin, which tell the body when it is time to go to bed.
However, yellow-toned LED lights have made this a benefit no longer unique to incandescent bulbs.
Improved sleep is also strongly associated with support for wellbeing. So in a roundabout way, the answer is not necessarily a “no.”
What is the difference between LED and incandescent light bulbs?
The primary differences between LED and incandescent light bulbs lay in the way each function.
LEDs create light by passing an electric current through a microchip, while incandescent lights are the result of a filament that is heated.
Because of these differences in operation, there are also some differences in the experience of lighting a home with one versus the other.
LED bulbs also tend to last longer, emit less heat, and are more energy efficient than their incandescent counterparts.
Incandescent bulbs also tend to be less expensive than LEDs, and produce a soft, warm glow favored by many.
How much worse are incandescent bulbs for the environment vs. LED?
There are some drawbacks to using incandescent bulbs, for consumers concerned about their environmental impact.
For starters, the number of LED lightbulbs required to illuminate a space for the same amount of time is significantly less than the number of incandescent bulbs required, as LEDs can last at least 25 times longer than incandescent.
Incandescent bulbs also require more energy to operate, expending more energy to light a space for the same amount of time as an LED bulb.
The incandescent bulb also only converts about 1% to 3% of total energy used to power the bulb into visible light, whereas LED and fluorescent light bulbs convert closer to between 75% and 90% of the energy used to power them.
By using more energy-efficient light bulbs, their environmental impact is significantly reduced, making LEDs the improved choice in this case.
‘Just buy warmer LEDs’
Some viewers were quick to point out that while the poster might prefer incandescent bulbs to the LEDs available, they are not as cost effective, being a “power hungry” draw for electricity.
“nah. incandescent light is power hungy.,” one commenter wrote. “very short life span compare to led. generate heat, more power waste.. it’s useless.”
“yeah and your electricity bill is going to be 4x higher,” another commenter wrote.
“yeah but incandescent are terrible for the environment,” a commenter wrote.
Others recommended warm LED lights as a potential alternative.
“Just get warm led light bulbs,” one commenter wrote.
“Just buy warmer LEDs,” another commenter wrote. “Incandescent light bulbs use 5-10x more power for the same amount of light, and last a lot shorter.”
“You can’t even buy incandescent bulbs in the EU, though I’m sure a warm colored LED would do the trick,” a commenter wrote.
@antonroggo LEDs are EVIL (most of them) #health #healthyliving #wellness ♬ original sound – Antonroggo
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