The days are getting longer and the air is getting warmer. #thankgoodness #itsbeenalongwinter #naturallightlover
In just a few more days, daylight savings time will arrive and we’ll begin the lovely and energizing walk toward longer days and hot summer evenings. And my favourite stop along the way is the day when I can wake up and open every. single. window. in. the. house. Who’s with me?
Just like I believe that you should always have a good supply of comfy socks, dark chocolate and red wine on hand, I also believe that you can never have too much natural light. I am super duper keen on maximizing natural light all year long, especially for those of us who live in colder, snowy climates. I think these three posts make my love of (obsession with?) natural light pretty obvious…
9 Simple Sunroom Decorating Ideas
13 Self Care Ideas That are Easy and Free!
9 Amazing Benefits of Walking
But it turns out that embracing natural light really is awesome!
5 Reasons Why Natural Light is Good For Us
There are many important reasons why making the most of natural light is a good idea and these are just 5 of them.
#1 – Increases Levels of Vitamin D
In “Shining Light on What Natural Light Does For Your Body,” author C. Davis writes that Vitamin D is important for a long list of healthy outcomes including:
- Absorbing calcium
- Preventing certain types of cancers
- Treating chronic pain
- Preventing and treating depression
Therefore, ensuring you have a healthy level of Vitamin D is important to support a variety of positive health benefits.
Notably, “The Health Benefits of Natural Light” shares the important message that getting sunlight while you’re indoors still counts. So if you spend most of your time at work, you may want to think about how you can get more of the Vitamin D boosting natural light.
I now feel like my “sit in my car by myself on a cold but sunny day” moments have been validated. 🙂
#2 – Better Sleep
Simply put, the more natural light you are exposed to during the day, and especially first thing in the morning, the better you will sleep at night.
“Research shows that the amount of sunlight you receive during the day has a direct impact on how much sleep you get at night.”
C. Davis, Shining Light on What Natural Light Does For Your Body
The important connection between abundant natural light and good sleep is reiterated in “A Green, More Healthful Place to Work” which states that a lack of it can make us feel lethargic during the day.
The natural light and sleep link is important for our kids too.
Kids who have a hard time going to bed at a good time may be getting too little natural light during the day and too much artificial light in the evening.
G. Dewar, Why Kids Need Daylight to Thrive and Learn
She shares that these too late bedtimes, combined with waking up early to go to school, can lead to poorer school performance and behaviour problems.
In my job I have met with many teens who get much less than the recommended 9 hours of sleep each night that they need. In most cases, it is because they are using technology (e.g. gaming, social media, etc.) late into the night and then they are waking up just a few hours later for an 8:00am high school start time.
It makes me tired just thinking of the schedule they are keeping! It’s times like this that this Gen X mom is grateful that there were no cell phones when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, teens today often find themselves climbing uphill because of them.
#3 – Improves Mood
When those first warm days of spring arrive and we all emerge from their homes to walk and bike ride and just generally enjoy the longer evenings and warmer air, I know I feel more positive, hopeful and energetic.
However, for some, the lack of natural light in the winter months can be very much a struggle. About 6% of the population experiences Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder (SAD) and another 14% suffer from “winter blues” (S. Garone | Healthline).
Scientists believe that the “happy” hormone called serotonin increases when nights are short and days are long.
C. Davis, Shining Light on What Natural Light Does For Your Body
Thus, exposure to natural light helps to improve mood and is sometimes even recommended to help treat depression (C. Davis).
All the more reason to think about how you can let a little more sunshine into your home and workspace.
#4 – Better for Vision
Knowing how much time our kids have spent learning online during this past year makes this point all the more important.
Fluorescent lighting, as well as computer screens and cell phones, etc., can be harmful to our vision. Notably, “research has found that outdoor play lowers a child’s risk of developing nearsightedness” (G. Dewar | Parenting Science).
Natural light has been shown to lower the risk of nearsightedness in children and young adults by helping the eye produce dopamine, which aids in healthy eye development.
C. Davis, Shining Light on What Natural Light Does For Your Body
#5 – Higher Productivity
Interestingly, there have also been studies that show that employees are more productive when working in environments with natural light compared to those who work under fluorescent lighting (C. Davis). Accordingly, some newer workplaces are being designed to include more plants, fresh air and natural light to help support healthier environments.
In “A Greener, More Healthful Place to Work”, a few interesting study results are shared:
- People who work in offices with leafy plants are 15% more product than those who don’t
- Patients in a hospital who can look out a window at nature, instead of looking out at a brick wall, needed less pain medication
- People in properly vented buildings did twice as well on cognitive and decision-making tests than those who were in poorly vented buildings
I’m reminded of a school I once worked in that had few classroom windows, most of which were above eye level, and interior offices that had no windows at all. For a natural light lover like me, it was a struggle. The next school I moved to had lots of large windows that opened, and the school that was flooded with natural light. I’m not sure that teenagers even pay attention to such things but just like office workers, our teens need healthy school environments that embrace nature too.
Teenagers and Natural Light
We all know that teenagers are unique (and a challenge!) because we’ve all been one. Sometimes they like to cocoon themselves away and that is sometimes OK. But throw in cell phones, gaming screens, Netflix and Tik-Tok, and these barriers to natural light and the outdoors can become pretty strong.
Although our mom ideas aren’t always embraced (again, nothing new with teenagers) moving barriers aside is part of our job. One day they may even thank us for getting in the way of technology and getting them out of the basement for some fresh air and natural light.
Afterall, the health benefits of natural light apply to teenagers as well!
Conclusion
Maximizing our exposure to natural light increases levels of vitamin D which in turn provides many other health benefits, helps us sleep better, improves our mood, is good for our vision, and even makes us more productive.
So open those curtains, soak in the sunlight, sneak a leafy plant into your teenager’s bedroom, and enjoy some of the free good stuff that’s right outside our windows!
Related Posts
9 Simple Sunroom Decorating Ideas
13 Self Care Ideas That are Easy and Free!
References
Shining Light on What Natural Light Does For Your Body, C. Davis
The Health Benefits of Natural Light (and 7 Ways to Get More of It), Healthline
Why Sunlight Is So Good For You, A. Park
Why Kids Need Daylight to Thrive and Learn, G. Dewar
Plants, Fresh Air, Natural Light Make Workplaces Healthy, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health