Does anyone else hate having artificial light on when natural light is available?

[Joeytribbianiz]

Or am I weird?

Drives me crazy when I get up in the morning and people are sitting with the blinds drawn and lamps/overhead lights on. It makes me feel really weird - like a bit headachy and discombobulated. Just an overwhelming feeling of wrongness.

Anyone else or is it just me?

In the mornings I like natural light but in the evenings I don't. So in summer I shut my heavy curtains and put a lamp on even when it's still light outside! But then I have "summer sad" and I find it helps.

I'm with you, I use the natural light as long as I can.

I'm the same. I hate having artificial lights on in the morning and it drives me mad when my teen DS sits in his room with his blind down and lights on in the middle of the day, but he says he prefers it. I need real light in the mornings though or my head feels really weird.

Yep. I hate it at work when blinds are drawn and lights are on...

Me! I HATE that!!

Yes! It’s definitely a thing. I would go as far as to say it can make me feel slightly unwell. Especially the really harsh white lights.

Yes yes YES! I go nuts with Dh when he turns the light on on a morning. I end up shrieking “Just open the bloody blinds!”

I go from sleepy to instant fury. I don’t know why it is such a massive overreaction, but there it is.

Totally with you @Joeytribbianiz

I have daylight spectrum lighting at home and in the office for this reason. Not all artificial lighting has to be poor lighting.

Yes! My husband and kids would leave the curtains closed and lights on all day if I didnt go round turning them off and opening curtains. Natural light is so much nicer, and as I regularly tell my 5yo, free!

This is so reassuring. I have such a strong reaction to it that I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with me!

I love natural light. The blinds & curtains are open as soon as I get up and stay open as long as possible. Autumn light is especially lovely.

I'm the same. Lights don't go on until its dark. I can't understand why so many people sit in their houses with blinds shut and lights on during the day. Dp does it if I'm not here and it drives me insane to come home and see the curtains shut.

Yes! It makes me feel unwell and claustrophobic.

it weirdly feels darker inside with natural light coming in through windows + the artificial lights.

Natural light......I have to be almost in the dark before I’d put the light on

Yes, I do. I hate artificial light anyway, it's depressing.

I just hate all light, I love dark days and when the sun shines outside of summer I get so irritable.

Here's my major irritant - look at any tv show, if there are side lamps they will be switched on, even in broad daylight. Always. Every single soap, drama or even a reality show. Lamps always on. Drives me mad.

God I hate this as soon as I'm up blinds are open and windows are open for a bit. I drive the kids mad

Yes yes yes! It makes me feel weird, I get claustrophobic with too much artificial light. I don't understand why you wouldn't open the curtains when you wake up, yet my partner would leave them closed all day.

YES! I can not stand artificial light unless it's dark outside, I really don't like the lights on at home during the day - DH thinks I'm crazy

Same here. When I go in the office and the blinds are down, unless there is direct sun on people's computers I go round putting them up.

I could not agree with you more OP. I don't really like artificial light at all. Obviously I turn lights on when it is actually dark but only use a few lamps. I hate overhead lights.

I could not live in a dark house and the houses me and DH have lived in have all been light with good size windows. His parents' house was dark and they almost always had to have a light on during the day.

Quite a few of my neighbours never (or rarely) open their curtains/ blinds and I find that really strange

I used to be the first one in the office, before Covid, and I'd put blinds up, except where they'd be shining on PCs. We had vertical blinds, so would open them enough to let light in, without light falling on the PCs. That did brighten up the room, and I think people forgot that the blinds weren't just the open or close type.

I do have to have an overhead light on at home, due to the placement of the PC. I get great natural light, but it doesn't fall properly on my working space, and I can't see the keyboard properly with the room light on.