In 2011, we found there was a revival of interest in raising chickens in as natural a way as possible. This may well be in response to media images of caged chickens kept in battery farms. So when so many people started to think about raising a couple of chickens at home, they needed information on best care conditions. Hence the two articles we wrote this year on care of chickens.

Chickens, food miles and light quality.
Raising healthy chickens – why light matters.

But chickens aren’t the only birds where light quality is important and our weekly roundup of Full-Spectrum light news was rarely without a mention of care of a bird species. From finches to parrots to pigeons to parakeets to canaries – we found reference to how light matters for many different bird species. If you missed any of these references during the year, we’ve listed them below.

CHICKENS
We weren’t the only ones writing about care of chickens last year.

How To Raise Chickens In Your Urban or Country Backyard
I think 18 hours of light is very unnatural. Even in Michigan in the summer we have about 16 hours at the very most. I have always had good egg production and I can say that I have only had the full spectrum light on in the coop for 12 hours at a time. Any more and they get cranky with me!

How to: Artificial Light to Make Chickens Lay More Eggs
Choose between incandescent, fluorescent and halogen lights. If you opt for fluorescent or halogen, you’ll need to choose bulbs that generate a natural full-spectrum light.

How To Raise Chickens In Your Urban or Country Backyard
Q. Does it matter if the light is fluorescent, filament, heat lamp, full spectrum or LED? A.I have been told that full spectrum is the way to go. Supposed to be good for people too, to run off the winter blahs.

PARROTS
African Grey Parrot
I brought home a Congo African Grey last month; he/she is now about 4 1/2 months old and seems to be doing very well. Is on a primarily pelleted diet (mix of Harrison’s and Zupreem) and absolutely loves fresh veggies and other foods such as scrambled egg. I have a full spectrum light on for part of the day and the bird has also had a vet visit (I work at an avian vet) and will be going back next week for some blood testing

Breeding Large Parrots in Indoor Cages – Tricky but Possible
Use light timers to mimic the photoperiod that occurs in your pet’s natural habitat, and be sure to provide full spectrum lighting; bear in mind that window glass filters-out beneficial UVA and UVB radiation.

How to choose proper lighting for your parrot
If you own a parrot, chances are it has crossed your mind as to whether or not enough lighting is being provided for your feathered friends and what type of lighting would best meet their needs.

Do I Need Full Spectrum Lighting for My Parrot?
It provides lighting that is much closer to the type of light a parrot would receive in its natural environment. By doing this, you can provide for the overall health of the bird in many ways.

CANARIES
When Your Canary Molts – Care and Diet Tips | That Bird Blog
If your Canary is molting in winter or spring, try limiting its day to 8-10 hours of light, and keep the temperature at 68-70F. Full spectrum light (please see article below) is also helpful in establishing normal cycles and supports …

PIGEONS
Pigeon Talk – Newbie questions about room light and feeding
Should I leave any light on at night?or Do I need to be sure to turn off the room light when it gets dark outside, or can I leave it on until 10 PM in the evening! I read some threads on full spectrum light and night lights and now I am confused as what is appropriate for an indoor pigeon.

PARAKEETS
Parakeet Breeding – Part Two
Ensure that you cover the cage having a dark cloth as soon as it’s sundown and maintain it covered for 12 hours. Eliminate the cloth within the early morning. Offer for a full spectrum light bulb as it assists within the vitamin D formation.

FINCHES
Color Loss in the Strawberry Finch or Red Avadavat – Part 2 | That ...
Full spectrum light may also play a role. For some reason, breeders considered this to important to the Strawberry Finch’s care years before its role in bird husbandry was fully appreciated. Certainly, many have noticed that the plumage…

Cage Requirements for Finches
Place the finches’ cage at eye level on a sturdy surface in a room that receives plenty of natural light but away from direct sunlight or drafts. If there is not much natural light in the room, meet the birds’ light requirements with a full-spectrum light with a timer, recreating natural sunlight and darkness patterns.

GENERIC BIRDCARE
Tea and Feathers
Combine their sociable natures with the fact that I have a daylight bulb in the lamp next to me for knitting purposes (Birds can see ultraviolet light – they have a rather expensive full-spectrum avian bulb near their cage – and clearly enjoy natural light. They’ll sunbathe if the light’s streaming in from outside, but it’s October and the light is weak and watery outside.)

Bring Pet Birds Outside
That said, there are many people who work full time an hour or more away from home and simply cannot fit time outdoors into their weekday schedule. In that case, the next best bet is to provide your bird with full-spectrum lighting. Interestingly, a bird’s vision includes the ultraviolet spectrum, so they can see the UV light that is invisible to humans.

full spectrum lighting – distances
How should I determine the distance above a bird to locate a full-spectrum light? What does one do about getting light close enough to birds in cages that are 4-6 feet tall?

Bird Term of the Day: UVA & UVB
If natural light is unavailable, another choice is full-spectrum lighting, which mimics the sun’s rays, providing both UVA and UVB rays. The right type of full-spectrum light can make it almost like your pet bird has its own little sun right in your house.

A Rainbow Lorikeet’s Habitat
Like all birds, rainbow lorikeets require a natural lighting cycle as well as natural lighting. Natural sunlight contains UVB rays, which are necessary for birds to produce vitamin D.

Essential lighting for a healthier bird
Select full spectrum bulbs designed specifically for birds and look for bulbs that emit light in the ultra violet wavelength. These bulbs replicate natural sunlight to provide all the beneficial properties of sunlight

Rooster gets his full spectrum light
I try to give my birds some time under the full spectrum lamp, since I don’t take them outside much anymore. They need sunshine (or a full spectrum lamp) to produce vitamin D.

Full Spectrum Lighting
Recently, I’ve been re-examining the way I provide my birds with full spectrum light. According to research I’ve been doing, full spectrum tube lighting is more beneficial then compact fluorescent lights (CFL’s).

Simple, Effective Ways to Heat your Bird’s Cage or Bird Room
Light is important to birds for reasons other than heat generation. More and more studies are showing that UVA and UVB radiation helps maintain strong immune systems, and encourages natural activity levels and breeding.

Related posts:

1. Chickens, food miles and light quality.
2. Raising healthy chickens – why light matters.
3. Full-Spectrum Light (issue 38)

The key out-take is that we need to alternate full-spectrum and dim light at the right times (ie full-spectrum during daylight hours and dim light in the evening) in order for our circadian rhythm to allow us to sleep soundly at night.

Circadian rhythms and how to check yours

Jet Lag and Light

Why is circadian disruption relevant?

Why is Melatonin so important?

Do iPads Cause Insomnia?

And we weren’t the only ones who were writing about this subject. Our weekly round-ups had regular entries on the topic of sleep – whether it be how to get to sleep, how not to go to sleep and sometimes how to stay awake longer than you normally could.

How to wake up
33 Tips for Better Sleep
Increase your melatonin. Ideally it is best to increase levels naturally with exposure to bright sunlight in the daytime (along with full spectrum fluorescent bulbs in the winter) and absolute complete darkness at night.

How not to fall asleep when you shouldn’t
How not to fall asleep at work
Working in an office with bad lighting could be sapping your energy. “Tests have found that full-spectrum lighting, which simulates daylight and promotes better vision – will boost your energy levels as well”

Some Tips for staying awake during the ashes « The Sleep Geek
Having full spectrum light bulbs in the room where you are watching the cricket will help to keep you awake during play – they mimic the sun and your body will assume that it’s daytime and therefore feel more awake. …

How to get to sleep
Sound Asleep Curtains Review
If you sleep at night, which most people do, try to get at least 30 minutes of full spectrum light during the day, especially first thing in the morning. This light will cue your body to induce sleep at night.

How sleep patterns change as you age
If you cannot obtain direct sunlight, try a full-spectrum light. – Keep a Regular Sleep Schedule – Try to go to bed and awaken at the same time each day. – Avoid Stimulants – Nicotine, caffeine, alcohol all act as stimulants that can …

Stress: Why is it bad, and how can we minimize it?
If your sleep cycle has become irregular due to your consistently bad sleep habits, simply reset it by exposing yourself to bright, full spectrum light in the morning, and minimizing exposure to light within two hours of desired bed …

How To Beat The Sleep Robbers
Day-Llight Therapy: Not the same thing as ordinary indoor lighting, exposure to the daylight spectrum of light does a better job than a caffeinated drink for relieving a drop in alertness, energy and mood during the midafternoon.

A Good Night’s Sleep: Essential for Health
Like with diet, there isn’t a “one size fits all”; however, if you are experiencing sleep difficulties, try a few of these easy inexpensive possibilities: 3 mg of the hormone melatonin about one half hour before bed; no television or computer work an hour before going to sleep; reading with a full spectrum light bulb; sleeping with eye shades if you can’t make your bedroom completely dark.

Nite, Nite, Sleep Tight – Holistic Health – Medicine Blog …
Avoid nightlights or overhead lights once you turn in. One article suggests keeping a flashlight (not LED) at bedside for trips to the WC or to let a pet out. Get enough natural light during the day either outdoors or with full- spectrum …

Sleep as a SAD symptom
Feeling S.A.D.? Follow these Tips to Beat the Winter Blues
If your room is dark and that is what makes you less active at home, then you can install full-spectrum light bulbs in every room of your home in order to mimic the sunshine. Full-spectrum high-quality beaming light is vital when there is a short supply of natural sunlight. It will help you to get a better sleep, mental clarity, improved concentration, good mood, plus a stronger immune system.

Ten Tips for Staying Healthy This Winter
Even a short stint out in the sun can help your mood, enhance your sleep, and help you feel like you don’t live in a cave. If you struggle with seasonal depression (Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD) get a full spectrum light and spend some time in front of it. 

Health tips for January from Hazel Courteney
This is why we tend to feel more depressed and sleepy during the winter months. therefore, get out into the daylight as much as you possibly can, especially in the mornings, and if you work in an office without full spectrum lighting …

How to steer clear of Winter Blues
To counter this, you could increase the amount of full spectrum light you are exposed to with full spectrum light bulbs and/or a light box. It is reported that you will feel some relief from sleepiness and even premenstrual moodiness or …

Related posts:

1. Blue-enriched white light in the workplace improves self-reported alertness, performance and sleep quality
2. Best of 2011 – Care of Chickens and other birds

We featured Finnish artist Jan-Erik Andersson in articles twice this past year. Take a moment to check out his work – it is incredibly striking.

Art, light and sound

The most artistic house in the world!

There were two other full-spectrum installations that caught our eye in 2011, so we featured them in our roundups

Parasolstice at Parasol Unit – James Yamada
Just off City Road, in the backyard of Parasol Unit’s vibrant contemporary art space, one can take refuge under a roof of ‘full spectrum light’, unashamedly surrendering to light rays of a therapeutic rather than UV breed. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recognised exposure to such wavelengths as a highly beneficial treatment for SAD. So I put it to the test.

Walk In Light Sculpture to combat winter blues from James Yamada
American artist James Yamada will create a dramatic installation entitled The summer shelter retreats darkly among the trees, the first artwork in Parasolstice – Winter Light; a series of outdoor projects at Parasol Unit. During the darkest months of the year, visitors will be encouraged to enjoy the health benefits of exposure to bright light by sitting inside the sculpture.

Suntrailer
The Suntrailer is a bike-assisted trailer that invites passersby to catch some rays, via full-spectrum light, on cloudy days

And even those who aren’t actively incorporating it into their work, talk about it’s value in creating their art.

Learning To Draw
Make sure you have excellent lighting. If you can’t see you can’t draw. If you do not have a well lit room with natural sunlight to work in, then check your local art supply store or search online for full spectrum lighting products that mimic natural sunlight.

Architectural Color Specialist’s Blog
What is needed to perceive color, which is part of the visual-at least to us-spectrum? Light, an object that reflects it, and an instrument for perceiving it (in our case our eyes and brain). Above all, we need light. Light not only effects our perception of color.

Setting up a Still Life
Lighting is also important. If you want dramatic lighting, you can choose to set up near a window for natural light, or create your own dramatic lighting with the use of lamps and spotlights. Spotlights are especially good for glass or shiny objects as they will “twinkle” in bright light. Spotlights can also cast unwanted shadows, so be careful about placement. You will want to use full spectrum or “daylight” lamps for that purpose

studio constuction-the beginning
There is a great view of the sun setting over the lake but it also allows a lot of sun glare so now I’m figuring out the best artificial lighting. I think I’m going with flourescent lights with full spectrum light bulbs or possibly a combination of regular fluorescents along with day light bulbs.

Home Art Studios, How to Create an Artist, Friendly Work Space
Ideally you can have ample natural light in your home with northern exposure lighting. In case you do not have enough light available, you will have to buy full spectrum lighting in order to have ample light in your workspace. ..

Related posts:

1. Full-Spectrum Light (issue 49)
2. Full-Spectrum Light (issue 51)

In this recent overview of the medical research – Vitamin D: A Neglected ‘analgesic’ for chronic musculoskeletal pain – the authors made the following points:

• Chronic musculoskeletal pain and fatigue syndromes are common and difficult-to-treat clinical challenges.
• Conclusive scientific evidence indicates that adequate levels of vitamin D are essential for musculoskeletal health.
• Vitamin D is a complex nutrient that functions as a hormone to benefit numerous body tissues.
• A majority of all patients, and particularly those with pain, have inadequate intake of vitamin D.
• While further research is needed, current evidence demonstrates that supplemental vitamin D can help to resolve or alleviate chronic pain syndromes in many patients who have been unresponsive to other therapies

The key findings then go on to recommend taking a Vitamin D supplement because the authors believe that acquiring it from sunlight is an unreliable method. We would however put forward the suggestion that gathering Vitamin D from sunlight is not something to be ignored.

The question of how to get adequate an adequate dose of sunlight to produce Vitamin D is debated with some saying:

• 10 minutes at midday in shorts (for fair skinned people)
• 5–30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 am and 3 pm at least twice a week to the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen
• 10 or 15 minutes in noontime summer sun is enough.

There are many very real health benefits being discovered to Vitamin D and developing a safe consistent routine for getting this vitamin is worth investigating for all of us.

Related posts:

1. Sun helps to battle skin cancer?
2. Vitamin D Deficiencies At Epidemic Levels
3. Vitamin D and Pneumonia

But there is more to our relationship with sunlight than just a block of soap. We found this article that listed 28 reasons why hanging your laundry out in sunlight is a positive move. Three of the items on the list that we would like to highlight are:

• Save money, and in effect help the planet. Using a dryer costs money that could be spent in other positive ways in your household.

• Get some incidental physical exercise and a daily dose of Vitamin D. Both of these are long-term health giving activities. If you’re interested in what Vitamin D can do for you, you may want to read these blogs we’ve published previously.
• Disinfect your clothing without adding any harmful chemicals

So take a moment to celebrate something simple and natural that can save you money and give you a better quality of life – hang out your washing!

Related posts:

1. What is the relationship between sunlight and breast cancer?
2. Health, Happiness and Sunlight Closely Linked
3. To sunblock or not to sunblock?

You may also have learnt that the visible section is only a tiny portion of the full electro-magnetic spectrum, and this spectrum includes Infra-red (next to Red) and Ultra-violet (next to Violet).

Source: Wikipedia. Click to enlarge

There are a collection of fascinating websites online that show what the world looks like to animals and insects that can see (or sense) portions of the light spectrum that we are unable to.

For example: bees can’t see red but can see ultra-violet. The usefulness of this becomes obvious when we learn that some flowers that we see as white, are perceived by the bee to include splashes of ultra-violet.

The ability to see ultra-violet is most common in fish, reptiles, birds, and insects. Most mammals have lost the ability to see ultraviolet light and lack the eye structure necessary to detect it (although some research suggests rats can see UV light).

Butterflies are thought to have the widest range, in terms of light they are able to perceive – some species of butterflies’ vision can range from near infra-red to UV. The markings that we already perceive as exotic and colourful, are even more so to the average butterfly.

Generally speaking, if an animal can perceive a portion of the range, this is in some way necessary for its survival. Whether that’s hunting, foraging for food, or finding mates.

No related posts.

But sometimes seeing these concepts in a visual manner at a global level, can present them in a different light.

We found this real-time illustration of the sun rising and falling around the world. It is a perfect graphic illustration of how the days are currently longer in the Northern Hemisphere (summer) and shorter in the Southern Hemisphere (winter).

Related posts:

1. Seasonal Affective Disorder – a summer or winter condition?

These cones in our eyes specialise in perceiving any one of the three different colour groups – red, green or blue. If any group is damaged then we cannot properly perceive that particular colour.

For those wanting to test their colour perception ability we link to this list of five different online tests that you can do. What is also relevant in looking at these tests, is that all the test providers specify that the surrounding light will affect results.

“Because of different display settings, display gamma values and ambient light situations you can’t rely on the results of online color vision deficiency tests.”

For those who need to accurately perceive colour in their work, you will need a full-spectrum bulb or natural daylight, to ensure that your eyes are getting an accurate picture of the colours surrounding you.

Related posts:

1. Full-spectrum Light and Colour Perception
2. The Colour Rendering Index (CRI)
3. A funny Colour and Reading Speed Test

But one group of people that don’t have these advantages, found their own solution – do-it-yourself full-spectrum bulbs.

1. Take an empty 1.5 litre clear plastic bottle.
2. Fill with water and a little bleach.
3. Punch a hole in the roof and make a water-tight seal for your bottle.

The sun now comes through with the light of a 55 watt lightbulb – all without electricity.

You can watch the video of this process here.

Related posts:

1. Recycled Water Bottles Make A Nice Lampshade
2. The most artistic house in the world!

The background notes to the meeting state:

Humans have evolved over millions of years and adapted to a solar day of approximately 12 hr of light and 12 hr of dark, latitude and season permitting. Our ability to artificially light the night began about 250,000 years ago when we discovered how to use fire. Candles were introduced about 5,000 years ago, and gas street lighting was possible beginning in the mid-1700s. However, only in the last 120 years has environmental illumination begun to change on a pervasive scale for the masses of people through the introduction of electric lighting.

 

One of the defining features of the built environment in the modern world is this artificial lighting. Electricity has made it possible to light the inside of large buildings and light the night for work, recreation, and security. The benefits of this lighting are obvious and enormous. It has become apparent, however, that although of obvious benefit, it may not be completely innocuous.

 

Light, including artificial light, can be potent in regulating human physiology and behavior and can therefore alter human physiology when inappropriately timed. One example of potential light-induced disruption is the effect of light on circadian organization, including the production of several hormone rhythms. Changes in light–dark exposure shift the timing of the circadian system such that internal rhythms can become desynchronized from both the external environment and internally with each other, impairing our ability to sleep and wake at the appropriate times and compromising metabolic processes. Light can also have direct acute effects on neuroendocrine systems, for example, in suppressing melatonin synthesis or elevating cortisol production that may have untoward long-term consequences.

The meeting concluded that maintenance of these circadian rhythms is important to health and well-being. And that the participants needed to focus on creating studies to advance our understanding of the impact of circadian disruption from lighting, and what then can be done to minimize or eliminate the adverse consequences for human health.

Related posts:

1. Circadian disruption and breast cancer.
2. Circadian rhythms and how to check yours
3. Best of 2011 – Sleep