Lust for Light
We All Need To Heed Nature’s Call and Get More Light in Our Lives
In this ever-increasingly unsure world of ours, there are numerous existential threats to our well-being.
Shifting political alliances? Check.
Climate-related catastrophe? Check.
Lack of daylight? Well, actually, yes: Check.
Would you ever have imagined that one of the threats to our health would be the lack of light?
The truth is, daylight is absolutely essential to our long-term health and wellbeing. If not at the nuclear-threat level, it is still at the very least as important as other vital wellness concerns, from diet and nutrition to exercise and a general healthy lifestyle.
Yet, society’s modern way of living challenges and prevents our daily access to daylight and a direct connection to nature. For many, the daily cycle during the work week leaves precious little time for fresh air and outdoor-light exposure.
Typically, we get up early in the morning and race to work. Because of weather-centric urban planning, commuting stations can often lead directly into office buildings, where worker drones never have to be outside whatsoever. We then spend eight to 10 hours inside an office, where many employers tempt their employees with free or on-location food services. Yes, free meals can be a great perk, but there is a catch attached: it also means workers never have to leave the office. And if the employees don’t have standing desks, workers could be indoors and sedentary for the entire work day.
Then, when the work day is done, we rush home, sometimes making a pit stop for groceries, or a quick workout at the gym (if we’re lucky and motivated, and if the kids are occupied). Then we cook (or microwave) dinner, put the children to sleep, watch the evening news, log on to the laptop or other portable screen and finally attempt to go to sleep, even with the sharp, pixielated glow of blue light pulsating in our exhausted eyes.
Our routines have never before comprised such a disastrous mix of commuting, work and unhealthy indoor-oriented distractions, particularly of an electronic nature. The only time spent outside under the open sky during the work week can easily be on the way to and on the way home from the office. In total, we typically spend less than 10% of the time we are awake outdoors, leading to what many experts describe as a “daylight deficit” and a “decoupling from nature.”
The specific consequences of lack of sunlight range from Vitamin D and Nitric Oxide deficiency (which can lead to, respectively, Alzheimer’s & dementia, and obesity) to inability to combat colds and the flu (indoor living without outdoor exposure and daylight impedes sleep cycles, which leaves bodies vulnerable to illness).
And this time of year — when the nights get longer and the days get shorter — another critical factor comes into play, one with perhaps the most appropriate-ever acronym: SAD.
Yes, Seasonal Affective Disorder is the very real depression that comes with the change of seasons, and according to the USA’s famed Mayo Clinic, winter-onset SAD can be caused by such factors as:
- Your body’s circadian rhythm. “The reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset SAD. This decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body’s internal clock and lead to feelings of depression.”
- Serotonin levels. “A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood, might play a role in SAD. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.”
So How Do We Get a Little Light in Our Lives?
That is a topic that will be explored in depth in an ongoing series we are kicking off here today on The Daylight Site. We want to champion the #HealthyHome movement, one in which home dwellers recognize the benefits of a residential environment in which daylight and access to nature are intrinsic. The Daylight Site also hosts a bi-annual conference that convenes global academic experts, architects, inventors and wellness professionals to discuss matters relevant to the rewards of daylight, including sustainable architecture.
So look for a variety of content here on our Medium channel, and on other content and social-media platforms, always with the hashtag #HealthyHome. Enjoy, for example, this poetic, moody video testimonial to the power of light.
Together, we can seek and find the light.
