Everyone loves to curl up in a sunny living room with a cup of coffee and a good book. But there’s more to it than that. Sunlight makes people happier. Although it doesn’t take a scientific study to prove this fact, a number of studies have been completed to confirm what we already know: There are numerous physical and mental health benefits to spending time in sunlight. And it’s not just about making people happy. Sunlight has been proven to keep people healthy.
But, if you work, go to school or live somewhere with less-than-ideal temperatures in certain parts of the year, then you also know that spending time outdoors isn’t always an option. “Natural light” has become a popular catchphrase in the housing market these days because people are looking for ways to optimize their exposure to natural light. So what is it? Natural light is really just a fancy way of referring to the sunlight that comes into your home or workspace through glass windows and/or doors. When people are looking for ways to improve their home’s natural light, they’re really just looking for home features that draw sunlight indoors.
Physical Health Benefits of Natural Light
Everyone knows that exposure to sunlight is a good thing. But what exactly are the physical health benefits of natural light in the home?
1. Increased Levels of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a critical nutrient for human beings. It contributes to the growth and development of strong bones and strengthens the immune system. Deficiency of this important nutrient has been linked to a number of serious health conditions, including breast cancer, depression, weight gain and heart disease. While researchers are still working out the role that vitamin D deficiency can play in these serious illnesses, it’s clear that vitamin D is an important nutrient for the body to maintain proper function.
Many people don’t realize is that sunlight stimulates the body’s natural production of vitamin D. In other words, exposure to sunlight helps your body produce this important nutrient all on its own. So, spending time in the sunshine — even if you’re indoors — helps your body produce the amount of vitamin D it needs to work properly.
If you’re wearing sunscreen or covered by long clothing, then your body won’t be able to absorb natural light as it should. But take note — this isn’t an invitation to lay in the sun for hours at a time. When it comes to vitamin D, you don’t need a lot of sunlight to get major benefits. Instead, keep it simple. To keep your body producing adequate amounts of vitamin D, you’ll want to aim for five-15 minutes of exposure to sunlight at least twice a week.
2. Increased Energy Levels
Exposure to sunlight regulates the body’s serotonin production — a chemical that can help boost your mood and increase your focus. When you’re in a good mood, you usually have more energy and a desire to get things done. Without sunlight exposure, your serotonin levels can drop, which can lead to depression and energy loss.
3. Better Vision
Did you know that more than 41 percent of adults suffer from nearsightedness? Fifty years ago, that number was only 25 percent. So why are more adults succumbing to poor vision than ever before? They aren’t getting enough sunlight. Children and adults are spending more and more time inside in front of computer and television screens. This exposure to artificial screen lighting, coupled with a lack of natural sunlight hurts the eyes and leads to more and more adults needing corrective eyewear. In fact, the American Academy of Ophthalmology predicts that half of the world’s population will be nearsighted by 2050.
When you spend time soaking up natural light, you’re allowing your eyes to practice working the way they’re supposed to. By doing this, you reduce your risk of damaging your eyes and needing corrective eyewear later on.
4. Improved Skin
If you’re a parent, then maybe you’ve heard advice about putting a baby with jaundice in the window to improve their condition. Exposure to natural light can reduce the harmful buildup of bilirubin in a baby’s bloodstream.
Besides jaundice in babies, natural light can improve certain skin conditions, such as psoriasis. They have been found to improve with exposure to natural light or the use of light therapy, which is designed to mimic the benefits of natural light to treat skin conditions.
This can be a hard one to understand because of everything we’ve been taught about the harmful impact of the sun’s rays on the skin. And, yes, it’s true that overexposure to the sun is hard on the skin. But exposure to natural light or light therapy under the supervision of a doctor can have a positive outcome for those suffering from these skin ailments.
5. Improved Overall Health
Spending time outdoors has been shown to build your immune system and decrease your risk of illness. And, even if you can’t always head outside for some sunshine, basking in the natural light spilling in through your home’s windows can go a long way toward good health as well.
Mental Health Benefits of Natural Light
Exposure to natural light also has a significant impact on your mental health as well. From boosting your mood to decreasing your risk of mental illness, a little bit of natural light can go a long way toward staying mentally fit.
As we mentioned before, your body’s exposure to sunlight has a direct impact on the levels of serotonin it produces. Seratonin is a mood-boosting chemical, responsible for signaling feelings of happiness and well-being to your brain. When your body doesn’t produce enough serotonin, then your mood begins to dip, and you become susceptible to a form of depression known as “Major Depression With Seasonal Pattern” or “Seasonal Affective Disorder” (SAD). SAD is a form of depression that comes with shorter days, typically in the fall. It’s triggered by the change in seasons and typically occurs in the fall and winter months.
Everyone has times where they feel those “winter blues.” But SAD is more than that. What begins as the blues progresses to full-blown depression as the fall turns into winter. Symptoms include:
- Low energy
- Feelings of depression
- Lack of interest in activities you enjoy
- Sleep problems
- Feeling sluggish
So what makes SAD different from depression? It is typically a cyclical depression, meaning that it clearly gets worse in the fall and winter and better in the spring and summer. It can be traced to the shorter days when natural light isn’t as abundant. In some cases, individuals may experience a form of spring/summer SAD, which is also tied to changes in seasons and sunlight, although it happens at the opposite time of year.
While exposure to sunlight doesn’t completely eliminate the risk of developing seasonal depression, it can go a long way in preventing and minimizing the impact it has. In fact, besides exposure to sunlight, one of the most commonly recommended treatments for seasonal depression is the use of a light therapy box. It’s technically artificial light, but the light inside of the light therapy box is designed to mimic natural light and stimulate the brain’s production of serotonin.
Even if you don’t develop SAD, increasing your exposure to natural light is a great way to reduce your stress levels. Because sunlight helps to regulate sleep and production of chemicals like melatonin and serotonin, it can also help decrease your body’s stress levels. After all, when you’re well-rested and happier, you’re bound to be less stressed. This can, in turn, impact your mental well-being, as well as your physical health, since stress puts adults at risk for a variety of physical conditions, including high blood pressure.
We tend to think that reducing stress requires major life changes like quitting your job or moving or starting an intense workout routine. But the truth is that simply taking a walk around the block or moving your desk closer to a window can go a long way toward reducing your stress and keeping you calm when it counts.
How Can I Increase My Exposure to Natural Light?
So now that we’ve convinced you that natural light has a number of important physical and mental benefits, let’s get practical. There are some great ways to increase your body’s exposure to natural light and reap the benefits of sunlight.
1. Get Outside
It sounds simple enough, but when was the last time you spent any time outdoors? Go for a walk, push your child on a swing or simply sip your coffee on your patio before you leave for work.
2. Spend Time Near Windows
If possible, work next to a window or take regular breaks near a window. If you’re at home, spend a few minutes each day reading or doing another activity in a well-lit room like a bedroom or sunroom. While there’s plenty to be said about the benefits of fresh air, you don’t need to be outside to soak up the sunshine and produce much-needed vitamin D.
Using Natural Light to Decrease Home Energy Consumption
Besides the health benefits of natural light, designing a home to use natural light for lighting is a great way to save money on your energy costs. Also known as “daylighting,” incorporating natural light into your home through strategically placed windows and skylights is a great way to increase your family’s exposure to natural light, as well as save on energy costs. When you incorporate daylight into your home, you reduce your need to use electricity to light your home during the day. Instead, you use windows to light the areas you’re using the most. In fact, when you use natural light to light your home, you can reduce your energy costs by 20-60 percent.
Natural vs. Artificial Light: How to Get More Natural Light in Your Home
Everyone wants to get more natural light into their home. So what’s the best way to get more sunshine into your space?
1. Let the Sun Shine In
Let the sun shine through your windows, whether you’re at work or at home. Open drapes and blinds during the day. Select drapes and window coverings in lighter colors and fabrics so that they will reflect the light coming through the windows at various times of the day.
2. Use Lighter Paint Colors
Painting your walls and ceilings in lighter shades allows more light to reflect around the room. Additionally, when you paint or install lighter-colored flooring, you bring even more light into a room as well. For another bright touch, paint your window frames in light colors, too!
3. Decorate With Mirrors
A well-placed mirror can also go a long way toward reflecting more light into a room. Since mirrors reflect most of the light that hits them, an ideal place to put them is opposite a window.
4. Maintain Your Landscaping
Believe it or not, the condition of your yard can impact the amount of natural light that finds its way into your home. If you have a lot of overgrown trees or bushes, they may be blocking natural light from making it through your windows. Take a look around your yard, and identify any bushes or trees that need to be trimmed. If you’re landscaping from scratch, be intentional about where you plant trees and shrubs, especially if they’re specimens that will grow tall and eventually block your windows.
5. Build a Sunroom
If you’re looking to make a more drastic change to your home’s natural lighting, a great way to do that is to add a sunroom to your home. A sunroom is the best way to get all the benefits of natural lighting without the bugs or heat of the outdoors. It’s also a cost-effective way to add living space to your home.
Natural Sunlight and Garrety Glass
There’s no doubt about it. The benefits of natural sunlight are vast, from preventing illness to improving productivity at work. If you’re looking to improve the natural light in your home, then look no further than Garrety Glass. Our experienced team has been serving Central Pennsylvania since 2000, and we’re looking forward to continuing to be the area’s leader in windows and sunrooms. What makes Garrety Glass unique? We’re committed to helping you select the products and services that will benefit your family from years to come. We know the benefits of natural light, and we are excited to help you explore options for keeping your family healthy and happy.
Let us show you how a sunroom or new windows can transform your home. Contact us today.