Fluorescent Lights and Anxiety

Have you ever experienced feeling an overwhelming wave of anxiety rapidly wash over you once you have stepped inside a pharmacy, at work or a convenience store? If yes, this is probably because pharmacies and convenience stores are lit with harsh, fluorescent lighting.

You might be wondering now what the relationship is between fluorescent lights and anxiety. If you have experienced the beginnings of an anxiety attack just by being near a fluorescent light or being inside a room lit with them, you are not alone.

Many people who suffer from anxiety attacks feel the same way too.

The common complaints when it comes to being near fluorescent lighting from anxiety sufferers include hearing a buzzing sound, having the sudden urge to pee, feelings of being anxious or disconnected and difficulty in focusing or concentrating on things.

Some sufferers of anxiety attacks may be able to tolerate being in rooms lit with fluorescent lights for up to an hour or several hours.

Others who suffer from anxiety attacks find the experience more disconcerting. Some complain of wanting to cry or wanting to curl up into a tight ball whenever they are in a room lit by fluorescent lights even when they have been exposed to the lights only for a few minutes.

Several studies have shown that fluorescent lighting is related to anxiety, hyperactivity, attention problems, bodily stress aggressive behavior and tooth decay in children. Researchers have also found that too much of fluorescent lighting can cause annoyance which can lead to medical stress. Fluorescent lights have also been linked to worsened cases of agoraphobia or the fear of wide, open spaces.

If you have a job that keeps you indoors for most of the day, you might end each day feeling tired and burnt out. This may prove dangerous for you, especially if you are already prone to depression and anxiety.

Being under the glow of fluorescent light all day cannot make up for your need of the sun’s beneficial rays and may make your case of anxiety worse.

Doctors are advising those who are stay indoors all day, especially those who are prone to depression and anxiety, to get more sun.

If you suffer from increased anxiety when in a room with fluorescent lights, you might consider going for full-spectrum lights, which have been shown to improve the mental activity and moods of people who were suffering from depression and anxiety.

I like to make sure I get ouside for at least 15 minutes to half an hours during my lunch break at work just to take a little mental vacation from the fluorescent lights. I highly recommend you do the same. You'll feel way better for it.

If you'd like to learn how to stop the "little things" like annoying fluorescent ligting from getting to you, you should check out the strategies taught in the Linden Method. The program is great for teaching you how to turn off these stress triggers like a light switch.