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Comment by esterly | Hacker News Reader

Light therapy has been huge for my mental and physical health. Research lead me to purchase a light alarm clock [1] years ago. Light early in the morning has made a noticeable effect on my ability to go to sleep at night by simulating serotonin [2] In the evening we have our Lifx bulbs set to mimic sunset color and the morning mimic sunrise transition to bright white wake up hue.

1. http://www.biobrite.com/category/light-therapy/ 2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry...

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I purchased my Philipps Hue system kinda impulsively (and somewhat drunkenly) because I was interested in the colors and the automation.

I thought it was 'nice to have'. But I underestimated the overall effect it has in my mood and my schedule. Previously I didn't know what to think about scientific claims in regards to the influence of light on mood, but now that I'm experiencing it first hand I can say it does have a significant effect on me.

It helps me structure my day, fall asleep, wake up, setting ambiances to read, relax or to be creative. Yes, I could have saved up money by trying to go the DIY route with Arduino, but I'm not very good at hardware. It's not a gadget that is collecting dust, it's something that bathes -for lack of a better word- my whole indoor environment every day. It's cool.

So true, something that works out of the box is worth it. I did the kickstarter for the Lifx on a whim as well. Dim lights are money for getting the kids to go the you-know to sleep too.

What types of Hue light schemes do you find most helpful?

I confirmed that the official app does not give the optimum experience. I experimented with Disco Hue and Hue Pro.

Hue Pro is good, and straight forward. I like the 'energize' and 'concentrate' settings, basically bright yellows. At night, I like to set 'deep blue', I find it relaxing. The warm colors are really cool, the oranges, reds and purples. It can really set the ambiance for making out with your partner, if that's your thing, LOL.

I schedule the 'energize' setting at 7 a.m., and this kinda forces me to wake up :p. I like scheduling on/off times to help me structure my day, because honestly I tend to be late.

One thing I like about Hue Pro is that there is an option with 'X' 'Y' sliders that allows you to select different colors than the RGB approach.

The author of [2] has a great blog:

http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the direct source. Book marked

Anecdotally, I've got this set up as well, and it hasn't really helped me at all |:(

Do you do the bright in the morning and dim at night? I've found I need both plus a daylight lamp in my office.

Yeah, bright mostly blue-white in the morning. I also work by a window, and at night move to shades of dark red.

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