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Short Answer? No. Long Answer? Read on…

You’ll occasionally see people complaining that LED lighting doesn’t agree with them, but a lot of this comes from not understanding what LEDs are capable of.

Brightness

If you replace a 60W halogen bulb with a 60W LED bulb, you’re going to get a light that is far brighter. In some cases (such as outdoor floodlights) this is ideal, but for most domestic or office situations that’s going to be far too many lumens for your needs.

Overly bright light can lead to headaches. This is why some people have complaints about how LEDs can make them feel unwell.

This is a really easy fix, and one that can save you a massive amount of money. If you have a 60W halogen bulb, a 6W LED will produce roughly the same number of lumens.

Blue Light

A lot has been written about the risks of blue light, about how it can stop you sleeping and alter how your brain works.

The science backs this up. Exposure to blue light can mess up your brain’s circadian rhythms- which makes it harder for you to fall and stay asleep.

LEDs are often associated with this blue light, and indeed older models tended to shine very bright white, which has blue light you can’t see.

However, crucially this is not an inherent trait of LEDs. They’re not all constantly beaming invisible blue light into your eyes to stop you from sleeping.

Playing on your phone or laptop without filters is a much more common and worse source of disruptive blue light.

Still, if you’re worried about blue light, you can choose LEDs that produce softer, warm white colour temperatures for your bedroom and living spaces. These are closer in style to halogen and incandescent bulbs, and can help create a much more relaxed look.

If you want to avoid blue light, avoid bulbs with a colour temperature above 5000K, or listed as ‘cool white’.

Fire Risk

LEDs aren’t just ‘not dangerous’ they’re actually safer than filament bulbs. This is because they don’t get nearly as hot as older bulbs.

Filament bulbs create light by heating a small wire until it glows (also called ‘incandescence’). This process naturally produces a lot of heat waste instead of direct light energy. This is why filament bulbs can burn you badly for a while after having been on, and it means fabrics placed around them are more likely to reach their ignition points, catching fire.

LEDs don’t need heat to create light, so they run a lot cooler. This minimises the above risks and makes them a lot safer.

Want to learn more? Give us a call on 0116 321 4120 or send us an email to cs@wled.co.uk. You can also follow us on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.