The Ultimate Guide to Circadian Lighting for a Healthier Home
LIGHTING, SLEEP, & YOUR BIOLOGY
The Ultimate Guide to Circadian Lighting for a Healthier Home
Most people focus on food, water, and air quality—but overlook one of the biggest inputs affecting their health: light. In this long-form review and home walkthrough, we break down how circadian-friendly lighting works, why most LED bulbs can disrupt sleep and stress your nervous system, and what to look for if you want a healthier home environment without adding more technology.
Author
Craig McCloskey
Board-Certified Nutritionist
There are a handful of upgrades in a home that you feel almost immediately.
Water. Air. And something most people overlook… light.
For years, I paid close attention to what we eat, what we drink, the products we use… but lighting was one of those things that quietly sat in the background. It wasn’t until I started digging into how light impacts our biology - our sleep, energy, mood - that I realized how big of a lever this actually is.
So recently, we made a change.
We replaced every light on our main floor with circadian-friendly bulbs.
And honestly… it’s been one of the most noticeable shifts in how our home feels.
🎥 Watch the Full Walkthrough
Read the full transcript
We recently switched most all the lighting on our main floor to circadian-friendly lighting. A lot of you guys were asking questions about this, so I figured I’d give you a quick walkthrough of what these bulbs are, how they work, and what we really love about them. These are circadian-friendly bulbs from Healthy Home Shop. A lot of people were asking things like: do you use a remote control? Is it app-powered? Do they give off EMFs? They’re just simple light bulbs. If you look at them, these are just standard bulbs that fit our fixtures. These are the BR30 flood light bulbs for our ceiling fixtures. We also have a couple other types too. We have regular bulbs for lamps, and then we have Edison bulbs for some outside light fixtures. What makes these bulbs really unique is that they have three different settings. They have a daylight setting, which is what we are under now. If you flip the switch, they switch to a sunset setting, so the light gets warmer and mimics the sun setting outside. If you switch it a third time, they go to a campfire setting, which has more of an orange and reddish hue. There’s no app, no phone, no extra technology. It’s all built into the bulb. In our kitchen, we have eight of these BR30 bulbs, and they’re all controlled by one switch. If you turn them off and back on, they switch to the sunset setting. It can be hard to tell in daylight, but they all get a little warmer. Then if you flip the switch one more time, they go to that orange-red campfire setting. And if you want to switch them back to daylight mode, you just flip again and they return to the daylight setting. Again, it’s all in the bulbs. There’s no app on your phone. Nothing like that. They’re also fully dimmable. You can dim them up and down on any setting you want. Now, they are LED light bulbs. And in the past decade, I’ve been pretty vocal about avoiding LEDs and using more incandescent bulbs, which are more infrared and more natural like sunlight. But when we avoid LEDs, why are we avoiding them? There are really four main things I look for. The first is flicker. If you record most LED lights in slow motion, they flicker very fast, and that can be stressful to the nervous system. Second is EMFs. Most LEDs give off a substantial amount of EMFs, which I prefer to avoid. Third is dirty electricity. Sometimes if you go into a building or a home, you notice a kind of buzzing or electrical noise. That’s something I also like to minimize. And fourth is blue light. Most LEDs have a ton of blue light, like our screens, devices, and overhead lighting. That can ramp up cortisol, especially in the evening. When the sun goes down, blue light signals to your biology that it’s still daytime, and that can interfere with sleep quality. The reason I really like these—even though they are LEDs—is because they avoid the main problems I usually have with LEDs. They have very minimal EMFs. I tested them with my EMF meter. They have no blue light. You can see the chart on their website. They also don’t flicker. I’ve recorded these bulbs in slow motion, and they don’t flicker at all. The standard bulbs, the flood lights, the Edison bulbs—none of them showed flicker. So these are very steady light bulbs. They’re not going to stress out your nervous system in the same way typical LEDs can. And my wife and I can honestly say that when you’re under these lights, they just feel more natural. Especially on the sunset or campfire settings, they feel calm. The environment feels softer and less harsh. We’ve had these for over a month now, and it has made a big difference in how the house feels. We have them in our kitchen, living room, hallway, bedroom, bathroom, and shower—pretty much everywhere on our main floor. And we really enjoy having the option to change the setting with just the flip of a switch. Before these bulbs, we had a mix of incandescent bulbs throughout the house, and we still do have some. We have some in the gym and some red incandescent bulbs in our bedroom. But when we were looking at replacing some incandescent bulbs with LEDs, people pushed back a little and said all LEDs are the same. They’re not. You just want to make sure you look for the specific things that matter: no blue light or very low blue light, low EMF, no flicker, and no dirty electricity. If you can avoid those issues, that’s the whole reason people avoid LEDs to begin with. And especially if you can find bulbs that also have three settings like these do, that’s a really cool feature I haven’t seen from other companies. Now, how long do these bulbs actually last? According to their website, they’re rated for 50,000 hours before they dim to 70% of their maximum output. To put that into perspective, if you ran them 8 hours a day—which I don’t think most people do—that would last around 17 years. So yes, this is a long-term investment. That naturally brings up cost. At the time of recording, these bulbs ranged from around $14 up to $48 depending on the type. The BR30 bulbs are around the upper-middle range, and the Edison bulbs are on the lower end. Let’s say you buy 20 bulbs for your house and spend an average of $20 per bulb. That’s around $400. That sounds like a lot up front, but it’s not a yearly expense. It’s more like something you buy once and use for over a decade. That’s how I think about it—similar to a good water purifier or air purifier. It’s an upfront investment in your environment. And when you’re changing the lighting in your home, you’re changing something you interact with every single day. At night, we use the sunset and campfire settings while cooking dinner, feeding our son, winding down, or sitting in the living room. In the morning, we use the daylight setting. And if we have guests over and don’t want to make things feel too extreme, we can just use the daylight mode and everything still feels normal. What are the drawbacks? The biggest one we noticed is that if one light switch controls multiple bulbs—like in our kitchen where one switch controls eight bulbs—they can sometimes get out of sync. Maybe seven bulbs are on one setting and one bulb is on another. That can happen if you’re switching them too quickly or a little too often. But the nice thing is that it’s easy to reset. If you turn them off for about 10 seconds, then flip the switch quickly three times, they sync back together. So it’s really not a huge issue. It was just a small learning curve the first day or two. Also, if the light is on one setting and you turn it off for more than about 8 seconds, when you turn it back on it usually returns to that same setting rather than cycling to the next one. The only time it changes to the next mode is if you flip it off and back on again within that time window. Once you get the hang of that, it’s very simple. That’s really it. We genuinely can’t recommend these enough. I’ve been excited about a lot of home health upgrades—water, air, cookware, mattresses—but lighting is one of those things most people don’t realize is affecting them every single day. It can impact sleep, energy, mood, and how your home actually feels. Just like you can have junk food, I really think you can have junk light. And that’s why I’m such a fan of circadian-friendly bulbs. They can support a healthier home environment in a way that’s practical and easy. You also don’t need to replace all your fixtures. We have lamps where we just screw in one bulb, and even that can make a big difference. We’ve been using one of these bulbs in a lamp by the couch while eating dinner at night, and it’s such a better option than blasting overhead lights. So even if you just start with one bulb in your bedroom or living room, that can be a great place to begin. If you want to check them out, you can use my link below. You can go to craigmccloskey.com/healthyhome to see the different types of bulbs and lighting options they offer. They have a wide range of bulbs and recessed lighting options, so there’s a good chance they have something that fits your home. And if you do order anything, you can save 10% with my code CRAIG at checkout. So if you were spending $400 on lighting, that would save you $40 right there. We’re big fans of these bulbs, and we plan to keep them in our home for many years to come. I really appreciate you guys watching. Let me know if you have any questions.
Why Lighting Matters More Than You Think
We tend to think of light as purely functional. Flip a switch, see better, move on.
But your body doesn’t see light that way.
Light is information.
It tells your brain what time it is. It influences hormones like cortisol and melatonin. It impacts your sleep quality, your alertness, and even how calm or stressed you feel in your own home.
During the day, bright, blue-enriched light signals wakefulness and focus.
At night, that same type of light can confuse your biology - telling your brain it’s still daytime when it’s not.
That mismatch is where problems start.
Poor sleep. Low energy. Feeling wired at night but tired in the morning.
And most people never connect it back to their lighting.
The Problem with Most LED Lighting
For a long time, I avoided LEDs altogether.
Not because all LEDs are inherently bad - but because most of them share a few key issues:
Flicker. Many LEDs rapidly pulse, even if you can’t see it with your eyes. When you record them in slow motion, it becomes obvious. That constant flicker can be taxing on the nervous system.
Blue light. Most LEDs are heavily skewed toward blue wavelengths—especially the cheap, bright ones used in overhead lighting. That’s great at noon… not so great at 8:30 PM.
EMFs and dirty electricity. Some LED drivers create electrical noise or measurable electromagnetic fields. While this is still debated in mainstream circles, it’s something I personally prefer to minimize where possible.
And finally, there’s just how they feel.
Harsh. Artificial. Almost sterile.
If food can be processed or unprocessed… lighting can be too.
What Makes These Bulbs Different
The bulbs we switched to are from Healthy Home, and what stood out immediately is how simple they are.
No apps
No WiFi
No Bluetooth
No remotes
They screw in like a normal light bulb - and everything is built inside.
That alone checked a big box for me.
Three Settings, One Switch
What makes these bulbs unique is that they cycle through three modes using your existing light switch:
Daylight Mode – bright, clean light for daytime use
Sunset Mode – warmer tone that mimics late afternoon light
Campfire Mode – deep orange/red hue for nighttime
You just flip the switch on and off to cycle through them.
No learning curve. No tech barrier. It just works.
And once you start using it, it becomes second nature.
How We Actually Use Them Day-to-Day
This is where things clicked for us.
In the morning, we use daylight mode. It helps signal wakefulness, especially during darker months.
As the day winds down, we switch to sunset mode. It softens the environment and starts that transition into evening.
And at night - especially during dinner, winding down, or putting our son to bed - we use campfire mode.
This is the game-changer.
Instead of blasting overhead lights at night, the house feels calm. Warm. Almost like candlelight - but practical.
We still live our lives. We just changed the environment.
The Science Behind Circadian Lighting
This isn’t just about aesthetics - it’s rooted in how your biology responds to light.
Your circadian rhythm is largely regulated by light exposure, particularly through specialized cells in your eyes that detect blue wavelengths.
When you’re exposed to blue light at night, it suppresses melatonin - the hormone responsible for sleep.
Delay melatonin production
Reduce sleep quality
Increase alertness when you should be winding down
When you start looking into the research on light and human biology, a clear pattern begins to emerge. Our bodies are incredibly sensitive to the type, timing, and intensity of light we’re exposed to—especially in the evening.
On the other hand, warmer, red-shifted light has a much smaller effect on melatonin production. It allows your body to transition naturally into a state of rest, rather than fighting against it.
And that’s really the idea behind circadian-friendly lighting.
Instead of working against your biology, you’re working with it—creating an indoor environment that more closely mirrors the natural progression of light you’d experience outdoors.
What About Flicker, EMFs, and “Dirty Electricity”?
These were big questions for me going in.
So I tested them.
Flicker: I recorded the bulbs in slow motion—no visible flicker
EMFs: Measured with a meter—very minimal levels
Electrical noise: No buzzing or interference in our home
That combination is rare in LED lighting.
And honestly, you can feel the difference.
It’s subtle—but real.
Longevity and Cost (The Real Investment)
These bulbs are rated for around 50,000 hours, dimming to about 70% of their original brightness over time.
To put that in perspective:
If you used them 8 hours a day, that’s roughly 17 years of use.
So yes, there’s an upfront cost, just like any big home health investment (air purifier, water filter, etc.).
Depending on the bulb type, at the time of this writing, they range roughly from:
$14 for smaller bulbs
$20–$30 for standard bulbs
Up to ~$48 for specialty bulbs
If you replaced 20 bulbs in your home, you might spend around $300–$500.
But this isn’t something you’re replacing every year. And you don’t need yearly maintenance costs like home filtration systems do. This is a buy it once and don’t buy it again for one or two decades kind of purchase.
A Few Small Drawbacks (Keeping It Real)
No product is perfect.
The biggest thing we noticed is that if multiple bulbs are on one switch, they can occasionally get out of sync - meaning one bulb might be on a different setting than the others.
But the fix is simple:
Turn the lights off for about 10 seconds
Flip the switch quickly a few times
Everything resets and syncs back up
It took about a day or two to get used to how the switching works - but after that, it’s effortless.
The Bigger Picture: “Junk Light” Is Real
We talk a lot about junk food.
But there’s also something I’d call junk light.
Artificial, harsh, biologically confusing light that we’re exposed to for hours every single day.
And just like food, it adds up.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire house overnight.
Even one bulb—in your bedroom or living room—can make a noticeable difference.
That’s how we started.
Where I’d Start (If You’re New to This)
If you’re thinking about upgrading your lighting, keep it simple:
Start with the spaces you use at night.
Your bedroom. Your living room. Maybe a lamp where you wind down in the evening.
You don’t need to go all in right away.
But once you experience the difference, it’s hard to go back.
If you want to check out the exact ones we use, I’ve linked them below along with an exclusive 10% discount.
craigmccloskey.com/healthyhome + code CRAIG
If you end up trying them, I’d genuinely love to hear what you notice.
Because this is one of those things people don’t realize matters…
Until they feel it.
Final Thoughts
This has been one of those upgrades that quietly improve daily life.
Better evenings. More relaxed environment. A home that actually supports how you want to feel.
And the best part?
It didn’t require more technology.
It required less.
Just a better light bulb.
