Did you know that you can boost your mood simply by using more natural lighting in the home? Not only does natural lighting feel better, it is better for you. Exposure to daylight is linked to many improvements, especially in mood and wellbeing. Getting natural lighting is a great way to improve wellness.
Wellness Benefits of Natural Lighting
- Increases Vitamin D– Since sunlight is a provider of vitamin D, which is an essential nutrient, getting enough sunlight is important. Sunlight absorbed by our skin, our largest organ, is the best way to get vitamin D. Another supporting point is that 90% of the vitamin D we’re required to have comes from exposure to sunlight (Holick, 2004).
- Improves Mood-Natural lighting in the home allows us more exposure to vitamin D from sunlight. Since vitamin D is a proven mood booster, it’s an important component to maintaining emotional wellness. To further support this, is research showing that deficiencies in Vitamin D have links to mood disorders such as depression.
- Increase focus and concentration– Another benefit of natural lighting is that it improves focus and concentration. Studies showed natural lighting in the workplace was found to decrease depression and improve mood, energy, and focus. Thus, natural lighting can lead to improved productivity.
- Improves Sleep– Sun exposure can improve our quality of sleep and patterns of sleep. Using daylight as our source of light instead of artificial lighting can help maintain our circadian rhythms. And a healthy circadian rhythm means we follow our natural sleep and wake cycles. This is because exposure to sunlight improves the release of melatonin at night.
- Increases Connectedness to the Outside World– Having exposure to the outside world through windows and doors can help us feel reconnected to the outside world. We can hear or see the birds outside, the neighbor’s dog barking, or see a plane fly by. As a result, this can lead to decreased feelings of loneliness.
Additional Benefits of Natural Lighting
- Increases Warmth– Letting sunlight into a space can bring a warmth as the sunlight will brighten up a room.
- Brings the Outdoors In– Having a window allows us to have a glimpse to the outdoors. And hopefully, some exposure to trees, sky, clouds, flowers, grass, birds or other natural elements. This can be a nice break from staring at a screen and is a healthy move for our eye health.
- Makes a room seem more spacious– Natural lighting can enlarge a space by brightening it up.
Ways To Increase Natural Lighting and Boost Your Mood
- Open the Curtains or Blinds
- Leave a Door Open
- Use Mirrors to Reflect Light from a Window
- Use Light Wall Colors and Avoid Dark Colors
- Move Your Desk by a Window
- Create a Reading Nook by a Window
In conclusion, natural lighting is highly sought over whether shopping for a new home or fighting for an office space. This is because of the many wellness benefits of natural lighting. Instinctively, we desire that sun exposure. So try your best to avoid spaces with no windows because then you’re stuck with artificial lighting. If you’re stuck in a windowless space, try to add a light therapy lamp for some of the same benefits of natural sunlight.
Visit http://www.elementalglam.com for more information on creating wellness with home decorating.
Elemental Glam was created out of a desire to use design to escape stress in my life. I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 20 + years in the field. Cumulative stress had taken a toll on my physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. And because there is a strong link between our emotional wellness and our environments, it became important to me to create a home environment that provided solace. Incorporating healing elements, such as crystals and aromatherapy, became a part of my wellness journey. I created Elemental Glam in hopes of inspiring others to use wellness decor to live harmoniously within their hearts, minds, and homes!
