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For many people, going to work or school can feel like a drag. While we can’t do anything to make your job or your classes more exciting, we can offer this insight. Did you know that a large part of your problem could be the lighting? Fluorescent light fixtures are known to have a range of adverse health effects, including affecting your mood. Scientific research has shown that unfiltered light from fluorescent light fixtures is some of the unhealthiest light you can be exposed to. However, replacing your fluorescent light diffuser panels with decorative light covers can make a huge difference. Imagine the benefits to your health and your mood by replacing those drab fluorescent light covers in your office with some ocean lighting! It will raise your spirits, change the atmosphere, and is great for your health.

The Body’s Response to Light

Most schools, offices, and retail spaces these days are lit with fluorescent light fixtures. While the fluorescent lights are cheap to install and to run, they are, unfortunately, terrible for your health. The problem comes from how your body uses light and how fluorescent light is different from natural sunlight.

Humans, like almost every other animal, have natural behavior cycles aligned to the sun. Some animals come out in the early morning, others only at night, and so on. For humans, we are built to rise with the sun and sleep in the dark. To achieve that, many of our bodies’ systems are triggered by or react to different types of sunlight. The light of the sun is different at different times of day. It’s most obvious at sunrise and sunset when the sky turns a beautiful orange-red color. But the light actually varies a lot throughout the day, even if you don’t consciously notice it.

Our bodies are meant to be wide awake at midday. To keep us awake, our bodies react to the bluish light that the sun gives off when it is highest in the sky. Hormones and neurotransmitters triggered by blue light send signals throughout the mind and body to wake up and stay alert. That’s great for daytime-living animals like ourselves. But when we artificially subject ourselves to blue light when it’s not midday, we can disorient our natural systems, causing all sorts of problems.

Why Ocean Lighting

Okay, so we know that blue light is bad for us. In fact, if you’ve heard experts warning us to get off of our devices an hour before bedtime, that’s why. Our smartphones and other screens give off short-wavelength blue light that can trick our brains into believing it is midday. If you’re trying to get ready for bed, that’s not the message you want to be sending. Unfortunately, screens aren’t the only source of blue light in our lives. Fluorescent light fixtures give off a similarly blue-tinted light. So if you sit under fluorescent light at school or work, you are telling your brain that it’s midday all day long!

Luckily, there is a relatively low-cost, easy-to-install solution, if you know where to find it. Decorative fluorescent lighting fixtures can correct the blue-tint that drives your body crazy. The decorative fluorescent light covers we sell at Octo Lights are specially designed to filter the light coming from the fluorescent lamps. They tone down some of that short-wavelength blue light while letting the other parts of the spectrum come through. The result is a much more natural light hitting your eyes.

Another problem with many spaces lit with fluorescent lights is that they are often dull, unstimulating environments. Take, for example, a beige-colored office, filled with beige furniture and beige cubicles. Or maybe you work in an office with no windows and nothing to look at except the beat up motivational posters your boss put up in the mid-nineties. This is where the decorative in decorative light covers comes in. Octo Lights decorative fluorescent light covers are printed with bright, beautiful images that stimulate the mind and make your office feel more open. For example, our Ocean Scene Light Covers. With spectacular images of the ocean, you can completely transform a cramped, plain office.

Fluorescent Light Filters for Classrooms

You may have noticed we keep referring to work and school. That’s because schools can have the same problems that many offices face. When students are subjected to fluorescent light all day long, their mood can suffer. Not only that, studies show that students who sit under fluorescent lights underperform academically compared to students with more natural light. So why not provide these students with a solution? Ocean lighting is just one way to do it.

If you are a teacher and have heard about decorative fluorescent light covers for classrooms, you may want to take a look at the Octo Lights collection. Chances are, there is something perfect for your classroom. And if you want something specific, you can even upload your own image, and we’ll print it on one of our plastic fluorescent light covers. For instance, if you teach biology, ocean lighting might be right up your alley. If you teach physics, astronomy, or just science in general, check out our astronomy-themed fluorescent light covers.

Many teachers, especially of younger children, are replacing their fluorescent light diffuser panels with our sky and cloud-themed plastic fluorescent light covers. These plastic fluorescent light covers feature images of blue skies and white, fluffy clouds. They’re a great way to bring the outdoors indoors and to make any space feel more open and less cramped.

Fluorescent Light Cover Replacement

One of the best features of our fluorescent light cover replacements is just how easy they are to install. If you’re a visual learner, just check out our video for a step-by-step guide. You probably won’t even need any tools. If you do, a simple flat-head screwdriver will do the trick. Here it is in four simple steps:

1. First, locate the tabs that lock the frame in place and open them up. (This is where a screwdriver might come in handy.)
2. The frame is attached on one side, so all you have to do is gently lower the open side of the frame to access the fluorescent light panel.
3. Now, just lay the fluorescent light cover replacement on top of the existing fluorescent light panel, image side down.
4. Make sure the light cover is flat, then lift the frame back into place and lock the tabs.

Whether you’re installing ocean lighting, blue skies, or any other decorative light cover, the process is the same. You don’t need any special skills, and it only takes a few minutes.

Luckily, ordering your fluorescent light covers is just as quick and easy. In fact, it’s only three steps, one less than the installation process. First, select your image. Second, select your size. Third, check out. That’s it. We’ll custom print your order and ship it out within two business days. We ship everything via FedEx Ground, so as soon as your order ships you’ll get a tracking number. You can use that tracking number to find out exactly when to expect delivery.

If you have any questions about decorative lighting covers, fluorescent light cover replacement, or want some great ideas about how to use ocean lighting, feel free to contact us. You can also check our FAQs to get answers to some common questions. We hope you’ll take a moment to browse our collection and pick the fluorescent light cover that is right for you.