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The Relationship between Lighting and Physiological Changes in Work Environments: A Systematic Review

Document Type : Review Articles

Authors

1 Student Research Committee, Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, Faculty of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

2 Student Research Committee, Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3 Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, Faculty of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

10.30476/jhsss.2025.103730.1960

Abstract

Background: Vision is one of the most important human senses, and appropriate lighting is one of the most crucial physical factors in various settings, especially in work environments. Poor lighting in the workplace has negative effects on workers’ health, productivity, and job performance. Lighting significantly influences many non-visual functions, including physiological and psychological mechanisms and biological-cognitive processes such as circadian rhythm, alertness, core body temperature, hormone secretion, and sleep. Non-visual effects of light on the human body include changes in heart rate, pulse, blood pressure, and the secretion of hormones such as melatonin and cortisol. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between lighting and physiological parameters of individuals in work environments.
Methods: In this systematic review, articles published up to December 2023 in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus
databases were searched.
Results: The key findings of these studies indicate that the most significant effect of light and illumination is on melatonin secretion. Light with a lower color temperature suppressed melatonin secretion to a lesser extent, whereas light containing blue spectrum components suppressed melatonin secretion more intensely. Heart rate, pulse, and blood pressure also increased in low light intensity and yellow-colored light.
Conclusion: Light and illumination, as a physical factor in the workplace, can affect employees’ physiological performance in various ways, impacting health, safety, and work-related accidents. Utilizing these studies, appropriate strategies and achievements can be proposed to improve lighting and maintain workers’ health in work environments.

Highlights

Ashkan Jafari Malekabad (Google Scholar)

Zahra Zamanian (Google Scholar)

Keywords

References
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Journal of Health Sciences & Surveillance System
Volume 14, Issue 1
January 2026
Pages 1-15
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