Sunlight is so fundamental to human existence that it crops up in a million cliches. We say a situation is ‘bright’ when it’s optimistic; a happy person might have a “sunny disposition”. Even when we’re down in the dumps we might have hope, seeing “a light at the end of the tunnel”.
What these sayings and metaphors betray is how vital sunlight is to our physical and mental health. It forms an important part of the circuit of our life, and breaking that with synthetic light has proven to be a serious mistake of recent decades that we must reverse.
This is because electric light simply isn’t intense enough to take the place of light from the sun. This light is anywhere from 100 times to 400 times as strong as a lightbulb. Natural light, as a result, has many effects on the human body that synthetic light can’t.
Circadian Rhythm
The circadian rhythms of your body are like a set of internal routines that regulate your body’s functions while you are both sleeping and waking. However, your circadian rhythms require external influence to “keep time”, as it were. This involves a set of multiple factors but the most important one is the alternating presence of light and darkness.
Not only does electric light not provide enough light for the circadian rhythms to work properly, but exposure to even small amounts of light can reduce the quality of our sleep. That means anything from phone screens to standby lights on electronics can affect us. Reducing our exposure to electric light therefore improves our sleep and our health during the day.
Mental Effects:
Natural light helps us mentally in several ways. In the same way that overcast skies can dampen our mood, natural light can give us a more positive outlook. It can also help reduce our stress, which probably explains why going for a short walk often helps reduce our level of stress. Light also helps raise our energy and alertness, which allows us to pursue work, creative pursuits and other activities more intently and to greater effect.
Physical Effects:
Apart from helping us get a tan, sunlight is also absolutely vital for synthesis of one kind of Vitamin D. Ultraviolet radiation helps create a chemical reaction under the skin which begins this process.
Getting more natural light at home:
Getting more natural sunlight at home can really have a positive impact on your life. But if you don’t have a lot of windows in your house, there’s no reason to dwell in the dark. Here at ERoofing, we carry a full arsenal of VELUX windows that can shed some light on your situation, from pitched roof windows to sky lights to sun tunnels.
