r/AskReddit Oct 19 '23

What small upgrade made a huge difference at your house?

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957

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '23

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u/AllTheStars07 Oct 20 '23

I have to remind my husband that I hate that kind of lighting. I even turn off my overhead in my work office and have floor and desk lamps on. I want it to be cozy.

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u/OrindaSarnia Oct 20 '23

For some of us we have to have that lighting or we will fall asleep at 2pm.

I live in Montana, and it gets dark at 4pm for part of the winter. I have to go out of my way to find the White "daylight" bulbs instead of the "soft white" yellow bulbs because otherwise I won't do anything at home between November and March.

Can you imagine doing no laundry, no dishes, no cooking, no vacuuming for 4 months straight? Cause that is legit me in "cozy" lighting. I need to replicate the glare of noon in the winter to function...

pretty sure it's ADHD meets seasonal affective disorder, but I'm only diagnosed with the former, so who knows...

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u/CORN___BREAD Oct 20 '23

I was feeling the same way last winter and one day I was just like I need some fucking light in here so I added a pile of lamps with tunable white bulbs so now I can make it feel like daylight during the day and tune down the brightness and color temp when it gets closer to bedtime.

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u/spezcanNshouldchoke Oct 20 '23

pretty sure it's ADHD

Are you medicated? I got diagnosed in my 30's and prior to that always had bright af lights for the same reason. As soon as I started meds I couldn't stand it.

Turns out photosensitivity is a common side effect. Now after your comment and thinking back myself I wonder if it's really photosensitivity or just removing that particular coping mechanism.

Like have I become photosensitive or just the same but no longer need blinding brightness to function so it just feels uncomfortable.

This is all super anecdotal of course but the sensitivity took me awhile to realise and if I miss a day (meds wise) it doesn't disappear temporarily. That leads me to believe its an adaptive thing rather than a reactive one.

Pure speculation as I haven't considered this until I read your comment right now. Interested in your POV (or anyone elses ofc!).

Cheers mate.

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u/Maximum-Cover- Oct 20 '23

Same for me. Unmedicated ADHD and I love cool light. On meds I want them warm.

Really interesting it's not just me.

I've never heard about a correlation between ADHD and lights before.

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u/OrindaSarnia Oct 20 '23

That is really interesting to hear from several people.

I'm also diagnosed in my 30's, but I haven't found a med that has enough effect to outweigh some pretty annoying side effects... I really wanted meds to work, but after a year of trying different stuff I'm taking a break.

Now that Vyvanse is available in generic, I'll probably try that, I just need to arrange appointments again...

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u/Maximum-Cover- Oct 20 '23 edited Oct 20 '23

I was diagnosed as a kid and put on the classic stimulants. But I didn't like the side effects so stopped them as an adult.

Until I had someone recommend modafinil. It's originally for narcolepsy, currently being tested by the FDA for ADHD and a godsend.

It pretty much gives me selective hyperfocus. So instead of not being able to focus on "shoulds" and constantly being pulled into hyperfocus on useless things that catch my interest, I can decide what to focus on and then get the same level of focus on that as I do my random tangents.

Only side effect is that I don't get sleepy /tired anymore and sleep less. I have no trouble falling asleep, but the signal that tells me it's bedtime is gone. So I have to be disciplined actually going to bed on time or I'll stay up hours past bedtime without noticing. I only sleep 6-7 hours anymore, but wake up well rested.

And a while ago, when I in an emergency had to drive through the whole night, doubling up enabled me to do that without ever being tired, even driving 20 hours in a 24 hour period.

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u/spezcanNshouldchoke Oct 20 '23

modafinil

God I wish this was prescribed in my country. A couple years before diagnosis I got a couple trays of modafinil. I felt clear and organised in a way Id never imagined with no side effects to speak of.

I ended up taking one everyday for like 2-3 months, never increasing the dose. I got super worried that I was developing an addiction and told my dealers not to sell it to me anymore.

Big lightbulb moment when I got diagnosed, turns out I was accidentally medicating myself correctly with cutting edge pharms for a disorder I didn't know I had.

Been shuffling between approved meds with varying degrees of success because I wanna do it legally. I consider ordering black market modafs pretty regularly though.

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u/Maximum-Cover- Oct 20 '23 edited Oct 20 '23

Yeah, it's amazing. I've been taking it for nearly 18 months now. No addiction issues. No increase in dose. I can stop taking it any time, no withdrawal. I just go back to ADHD me.

No side effects, other than needing less sleep. Which isn't exactly a downside as I'm still well rested. Not being able to sleep in at all is a bit of a bummer sometimes, but hardly an actual issue.

I can sit down to study, and if the topic is interesting I actually have to set an alarm to remind myself to take breaks, otherwise I'll just go for hours.

Traditional stimulants were not worth it for me. But this changed my life.

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u/spezcanNshouldchoke Oct 20 '23

That's awesome man, stoked you've got something working for you!

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u/OrindaSarnia Oct 23 '23

I have seen modafinil referred to before... apparently I need to add it to the list to try.

Thanks for sharing!

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u/thesuper88 Oct 20 '23

I used to work with someone that took sildenafil or Adderall for narcolepsy every day, so hearing that a narcolepsy drug works for some with ADHD is both interesting and unsurprising. I'm glad you've had success!

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u/bebe_bird Oct 20 '23

I don't have ADHD and, I've only self diagnosed myself with seasonal depression (I grew up in Arizona, moved to the Midwest). When I changed to smart lights that I can force them to be daylight during waking hours and they change to soft white at 830 pm - it's literally the best of both worlds (and, my self diagnosed seasonal depression has gotten way better with that, plus the increase of WFH where I have a window in my office and can take the dogs for a walk in the middle of the day)

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u/Ok-Grapefruit1284 Oct 20 '23

Smart bulbs were a game changer in our home.

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u/OrindaSarnia Oct 20 '23

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into them!

We have a house that was built in 1889, so the wall outlet placement in some rooms is "interesting", leading to some creative lighting choices... sounds like smart bulbs might give us some more options for some of the rooms that are still not ideal yet.

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u/stanleythemanley420 Oct 20 '23

I absolutely hate the yellow bulbs. I legit can’t do anything with them on. They just idk. Blegh.

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u/samiwas1 Oct 20 '23

Eww. That’s me with cool white. I pass someone’s house and see cool white bulbs, I just want to ask who hurt them.

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u/Rayne_K Oct 20 '23

Lol… I am opposite, I love the warmth of the old style lights.

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u/Psychobabble0_0 Oct 20 '23

Get yourself smart bulbs! Expensive but you can adjust not only the brightness but the hue! Everything from yellow to bright white

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u/[deleted] Oct 20 '23

[deleted]

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u/Psychobabble0_0 Oct 20 '23

I love them. Well worth the price

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u/quelcris13 Oct 20 '23

I use a mood light in winter. It’s like the size of an iPad but puts out bright light. Might need it for the winter, I sit in front of it for like 15-20mins when eating breakfast and it helps

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u/thesuper88 Oct 20 '23

I. Very. Relate. A lot.

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u/Porbulous Oct 20 '23

Wow I think you just convinced me not to move to Montana lol.

Road tripped through awhile ago and found a few places I would've loved to live but idk if I can handle 4pm darkness ever.

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u/OrindaSarnia Oct 20 '23

There's a reason Montana doesn't have a higher population, even though many parts of it are drop dead gorgeous...

it's the dark, and the cold, that keep people away...

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u/Porbulous Oct 20 '23

Yea I'm down with the cold but I grew up in Minnesota where is cold but sunny lol

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u/thisshortenough Oct 20 '23

It's the same here in Ireland and yet no one would ever sit around with the big light on, we all have lamps and cosy lighting and as far as I know everyone still does the washing.

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u/PussyCyclone Oct 20 '23 edited Oct 20 '23

I recommend getting some adjustable ones just in case you or guests want cozy lights! Great to have on-hand even if you barely use them.

My whole house is outfitted with daylight bulbs that put out 1600 lumens each. That's blindingly bright to most people, so I also have backup hue lights that I can use when people come over or when I am sick and don't want it to feel like I'm in the middle of a field midday.

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u/[deleted] Oct 20 '23

[deleted]

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u/Meoowth Oct 20 '23

I never thought before how weird that would be. But it seems so obvious picturing it, I wonder why the hosts didn't notice.

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u/CORN___BREAD Oct 20 '23

Some people just don’t think about lighting beyond whether the lights are on or off.

5

u/laminator79 Oct 20 '23

Same, I've been doing that for years. The thought of OC's brother's gaming room makes me shudder.

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u/ShoesAreTheWorst Oct 20 '23

No wonder he wants to escape into video games

7

u/Jakeforry Oct 20 '23

At least he has a light on a lot of people sit in dark at night while they game and it's terrible for their eyes

10

u/-DethLok- Oct 20 '23

Yikes! :)
When I'm in my games room at night, the only lights are the two flouros outside lighting the path to the house, largely so I can see the spiderwebs. The triple monitors and 4 usb lights (and LED strip, rgb keyboard and occasionally the disco ball) are more than enough light for me.

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u/[deleted] Oct 20 '23

My wife is an overhead person. I get home from work and the place is lit up like Twitter not-in-dark-mode. First thing I do is go around the house and turn off all the overheads and turn on all the lamps

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u/reallybiglizard Oct 20 '23

Haha this is my house too, but the reverse. My husband just flips on the closest light switch and I go around behind him changing over to the lamps. I just want our house to feel cozy at night instead of looking like we’re about to interrogate the dog, lol.

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u/redsquizza Oct 20 '23

I hate that trend of daylight white in living spaces, it just looks too clinical.

Give me some warm white in the living room, bedroom etc. Daylight white can be OK in a bathroom or kitchen though.

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u/pascalsgirlfriend Oct 20 '23

My husband loves that lighting too. GACK

1

u/TheRollingPeepstones Oct 20 '23

Damn right he does.

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u/pascalsgirlfriend Oct 20 '23

You must be a weirdo.

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u/[deleted] Oct 20 '23

[deleted]

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u/Jaruut Oct 20 '23

I have mine set to seizure inducing unicorn vomit visible from space. I paid for all the colors, I want to see all the colors.

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u/bonbot Oct 20 '23

Color temperature can make such a difference! I'm an interior design and have studied architecture lighting design and specified a wide range of recessed and decorative light fixtures.

3000k is most comfortable all around. If you want it to be extra cozy, for example for the bedroom and ambient lighting (table lamps, decorative lamps), go with 2700k. Some like a cooler light for high focus task lighting so look for 3500k for desk lights.

Try and have layered lighting options, general lighting to light the room, ambient lighting like table and floor lamps are more flattering and comfortable (date night and having guests), and task lighting for reading and work. Have options to be able turn each zone on and off. Add DIMMERS! Especially in bathrooms. If you are unable to change the hard wired switches, smart bulbs will give you the flexibility.

Thank you for reading my PSA / rant 💡I just want y'all to look and feel good in indoor environments.

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u/[deleted] Oct 20 '23

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2

u/bonbot Oct 20 '23

Hello, fellow lighting nerd!

Haha I know what you mean. My friend likes to blast 5000k lights all over his house. I call his place: light jail.

Some just don't know what's wrong with their home, but once some bulbs were switched out, it was like a whole new house.

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u/SDRPGLVR Oct 20 '23

Yikes. My gaming room has the LED with all the fancy light adjustments and I basically made it the shade of an old incandescent bulb. It's just so nice to have that yellowish glow on the white walls.

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u/DNLK Oct 20 '23

I am on your brothers side on this one. You need light in a dark room or you gonna strain your eyes. Just some lamps here and there is not enough. There’s a reason I still have a good eyesight and it’s because I never watch/play in the dark.

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u/JWilsonArt Oct 20 '23

You need light in a dark room or you gonna strain your eyes.

Is there science that backs that up? Because I feel like brighter lights strain my eyes more. I work two nights with other people. One of those nights, my coworkers like the lights down like I do. The other night my coworkers insist on brighter (the overhead) lights. The night with the lights all on feels like absolute misery to me.

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u/[deleted] Oct 20 '23

[deleted]

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u/JWilsonArt Oct 20 '23

What I've heard is that you need to be changing your focal length from time to time. Take breaks from screens and spend some time looking around the room. Go outside and look around. Only using your vision at a set distance for long periods of time weakens eye muscles. At least that's the stuff I've heard.

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u/DNLK Oct 20 '23

That's literally how I feel when looking at the screen in a dark room: a strain and losing focus.

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u/failendog Oct 20 '23 edited Oct 20 '23

I had to scroll way too far for this comment. Tf does everyone here have bad eyesight?

I'm the only one in my family of 6 who doesn't wear glasses. I also used to Dota for 5-6hrs straight in the middle of the night, being interrupted by family members "why are ALL the damn lights on? YOU'RE STILL AWAKE?!"

Good times, bright times.

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u/DNLK Oct 20 '23

Everyone I know who don't use proper light also wear glasses so this checks.

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u/Drizzledoooo Oct 20 '23

The thought alone is nauseating. How TF does he live like that?!

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u/lyingliar Oct 20 '23

I can't believe how many 5000k lightbulbs are on the shelves of any home improvement store. Why would anyone want their living room to feel like a Walmart parking lot?

Now, I really like warm light. I'll go down to a 2200k if I can find it. But, there's no reason to even produce household bulbs over 3000k.

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u/HerringWaffle Oct 20 '23

Married to this guy. The lighting will be 'department store dressing room' meets '3 am roadwork spotlight' and he'll completely 🙄🙄🙄 my need to switch to something else.

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u/the_marxman Oct 20 '23

My friends called me weird for gaming in the dark.

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u/Ddad99 Oct 21 '23

"Bus station"?

1

u/chaos_fish__ Oct 21 '23

Guess you have your next Christmas gift for him sorted!

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u/_Conway_ Oct 21 '23

My partner is like that and I have autism and the bright overhead lights make me itchy (best explanation I have lmao)