Got the winter blues? You can brighten your life with these home lighting tips. Here in Utah, the winters seem like they last forever. Less sun time and cloudy days can be really difficult to deal with day in and day out. One thing you can do to help improve your mood is to make sure your home or apartment light fixtures and bulbs are up to the task of producing enough light 

Bulbs. The easiest switch or update to make is to your bulbs. First, check that all your light bulbs are functional. A burned-out light bulb is something you easily get used to, but once you replace them you realize what you've been missing.

Since the sale of incandescent light bulbs has been banned in the US, you'll want to start with LED bulbs. Any brand of LED bulb is great. However, we have our favorites. The most important factors when searching for light bulbs are watts and color temperature. Watts refers to how much energy the light bulb will take and in turn how many lumens (or light output) the bulb will deliver. If you need a lot of light, get a high-wattage LED bulb, i.e. 10W. This is perfect for ceiling light fixtures that only have one bulb. If you have a ceiling light with multiple light bulbs, a 5-7W bulb per socket is perfect.

And finally, don't overlook LED light bulb color temperature. This is so important because many consumers think that the higher the color temp (i.e. 5000K) means more light. A higher color temperature light bulb means cooler light. Cooler lights 4000K+ give off the light temperature that you see in retail or warehouses think Walmart lighting. it works for Walmart but doesn't make your home feel very inviting or cozy. Instead, opt for a higher wattage bulb that has a color temp of 2700K-3000K this will give off light that is warmer and more inviting. 

New Light Fixtures. Sometimes, it's just time to replace your old light fixtures and get new ones. Older light fixtures tend to offer minimal light as they typically have only one light socket or older light technology. And new light fixtures don't mean that you have to spend an exorbitant amount of money. Lighting Design has tens of thousands of light fixtures under $500 and a great selection of inexpensive disc lights and flush and semi-flush mounts. 

Add can lighting. Can lights are one of the simplest and inexpensive ways to add more lighting to your home. They can seem daunting because many people think you'll have to involve drywallers and electricians. However, if you have a nearby power source, you can easily install LED recessing lighting by yourself. Adding recess lights is a sure way to brighten up a space in your home.

BONUS: Red light therapy. Ok, for red light therapy, we can't help you on this one, but we know a great place to get red light panels. It's super important to get proper LED red lights that have the right wavelength to give you the most benefits. Red light therapy can seriously help with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). According to the Cleveland Clinic, red light therapy has been shown to have several benefits such as: 

• Improving skin texture
• Improve wound healing
• Reduce inflammation in cells
• Increase blood circulation 

Let us know how you are going to get rid of the winter blues with lighting!