LED lights have taken over the market because they’re energy-efficient and long-lasting. But as LEDs have become the default in nearly every home, questions must be raised about what we traded when we gave up incandescent bulbs. 

Here’s what’s actually happening with LED lights—including some harmful effects they can have on your body—and why we recommend incandescent lighting when possible. 

What Are LED Lights?

LED stands for light-emitting diode— which is a semiconductor that produces light when electricity passes through it. LED lights are a form of blue light. Other forms of blue light include cellphones, tablets, and computer monitors. 

LED lights are different from incandescent lights in a few ways. Namely, incandescent lights work by heating a filament until it glows, and emit much less blue light. 

What Are The Health Effects of LED Lights?

Many people choose LED lightbulbs because they’re energy-efficient. We’re all about conserving energy and sustainable practices whenever possible, but when efficiency comes at the cost of human health, it’s time to give something a second look.  

Here are a few documented health effects of LED lights:

1. LEDs emit harmful blue light that impact circadian rhythm

LEDs are heavily weighted in the blue spectrum—much more than incandescent bulbs. Exposure to cool, bright LED light in the hours before bed tricks the brain into stopping the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone). This disrupts your body’s natural circadian rhythm, which can lead to poor sleep.  

In fact, studies show that homes with energy-efficient lights like LEDs have an average of 90% higher melanopic illuminance. This is the measure of how much a light source activates the brain’s “daytime” receptors, boosting alertness.

2. LED lights can cause eye strain

Beyond sleep, LEDs raise another concern: eye strain. Our eyes aren’t great at filtering out blue light before it reaches the retina. This means that prolonged exposure penetrates further into the eye than other types of light. 

Studies suggest this places additional stress on retinal cells over time, which has the potential to harm the health of your eyes and increase the risk of cataracts.

Some poorly-designed LED lights also have a slight flicker that, while visually imperceptible, still requires your eye to make tiny adjustments to compensate for the fluctuations in light intensity. This can lead to eye strain, visual fatigue, and migraines.

3. "Smart" LED lights add unnecessary WiFi exposure

Some LED light brands have pivoted to add “smart” features that appear convenient but come with additional concerns. These brands sell LED lights that automatically shift to warmer tones in the evening. This can slightly reduce the amount of blue light that’s emitted at night, and for someone who wants more ambient lighting, this may seem appealing.

However, these LED lights do still emit blue light—plus, it’s worth noting that the “smart” features they add come with additional WiFi exposure. They typically sync with an app over WiFi so your light adjustments can be scheduled and monitored from your phone. 

For anyone already working to reduce unnecessary sources of WiFi exposure in your home, adding “smart” lighting is actually a step in the opposite direction. 

The Simplest Fix: Go Back to Incandescent

If you're trying to protect your circadian rhythm and reduce eye strain, the best solution isn’t to invest in “smart” LED bulbs; it’s to go back to a simpler option that never introduced high amounts of blue light to begin with: incandescent bulbs. 

Incandescent lightbulbs:

• Don’t flicker as much as LED lights

• Don’t emit high quantities of blue light

• Don’t add unnecessary WiFi exposure through an app or connected device

While we appreciate that saving energy whenever possible is still important, there are other ways to prioritize this in your home without risking your health. Turning off lights when you’re not using them is a simple way to conserve energy that doesn’t come with eye strain, circadian rhythm disruption, or unnecessary WiFi exposure. 

At the end of the day, switching to incandescent bulbs is a small, low-effort swap you can make for your health. And like so many of the changes we talk about, sometimes the most effective solution is to remove something unnecessarily complicated and just get back to the basics.

Interested in other ways to get back to basics? Explore our kits and bundles that can help you replace conventional cleaning products with human-safe alternatives.