Published on 12, July, 2020
Does anyine else have a strange relationship with street lights as I do?
Im all for energy saving to help with climate change but im really struggling with these new bright white (LED?) lights.
A lot of the street lights round here are being retro-fitted with the new white light. I much prefer the warm tones of the old style orange or peach ones. Is it just that i like things just-so snd unchanged? The old orange ones rrmind me of being a child. To me, the white light is like the visual equivalent of the sound of a bad chord on an untuned piano. Does that make sense to anyone? It makes me feel uncomfortabke and a bit uneasy.
Since New year, there have been 4 neighbours who have had white security lights installed outside their homes.The house at the back has lights which shine into our back bedroom. Its not majorly bright but its the colour of the light i dont like. The lights they had before shone in a bit but were a warmer light and it didnt feel invasive.
When we lived in a second floor flat, some new car park lighrs were installed which shone directly into our living room. There was only me who seemed bothered by it (not partner or other neighbours) and i got the council to re-angle the light.
These white lights make me feel uncomfortable. In places like supermarket car parks where they are really bright, the birds are singing at 10pm at night because the lighrs mimic daylight. It fills me with despair. This is messing with our body clock as well as nature.
My partner said he has never heard anyone go on about lighting as much as me. Is it just me?!
My neighboyr's security light is back again shining into the house. I asked him a few weeks ago to re-angle it (I was quite charming actually)- he explained he'd had building work done and it must've got moved then. He actually turned it off till it could be re-angled. Ahh peace. It got re-angled (still not great but a compromise). Its since been moved again so its glaring. It's one of the white LED ones. I don't know if he knows it's moved again.
We have blackout curtains as we have a street light out the front and its not great at yhe back either. (I get blinded taking from another house when the bin out). I sometimes use a mask too. It shines in through a side window so it goes into both bedrooms via the gap in the doors (which are mostly closed but we have to keep slightly ajar) and the bathroom (there's blackout blinds in the bathroom but it comes in down the sides).
Getting up for a wee, it's like it's coming light outside. I've gone down to make a brew and its like it's coming light outside. It's well known that blue wavelength light upsets natural circadian rhythms. But then using blackouts means I miss waking up with natural light.
I'm not well at the moment and I feel like it's going to send me over the edge, not to mention how it interrupts my already interrupted sleep. The light gives me anxiety but then I become fixed on it (hence reviving a 3 year old post) and can't ignore it (look! there's a *** of it coming through the blinds!)
Why do people feel the need for security lights anyway? No one appreciates the darkness of the night. Its an assault on the senses, intrusive and offensive. Not to mention how it confuses the moths and wildlife. Also what good does it actually do in the middle of the night? I'm probably repeating myself here but I'm not reading previous posts. I don't want special treatment because of autism, im sure other people who are not autistic but highly sensitive will agree. It's just another example of how the minority have to adapt to the majority. Ideally I would prefer not to have blackouts and wake up naturally with morning light. Also it's the principle of the matter of both the neighbour and wider society. I just think a lot of people through no fault of their own are ignorant. I mean this in the kindest way possible.
Well done if you got this far.
I've always disliked bright lights and it's got worse as i've gotten older. I've got Diplopia (double vision). I have to keep closing one eye to make it go away, Even typing here on the keyboard i only use one finger and still i hit the wrong letters and need ro go back and delete. Any sort of bright light makes it worse, even sunshine. I have to walk down the road looking down rather than ahead of me, and i can't recognise people sometimes until they speak,