Natural Daylight

NATURAL DAYLIGHT

The Benefits of Natural Daylight to Health and Workplace Productivity

“Can I have the window seat? Please?!” A commonly heard request, not just confined to travelling on an aeroplane…

In workplaces up and down the country, workers jostle for the best desks in the house. The ones nearest the window.

Our yearning to spend our time near a window connecting with the outdoors isn’t just so we can watch the world go by or stare outside in deep thought. We humans thrive on natural daylight. Studies show that being exposed to natural daylight has mental health benefits, aids more restful sleep and improves productivity.

Natural Daylight and Mental Health

It’s well known that during the winter months, many of us suffer the symptoms of SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. Symptoms include lethargy, irritability, low mood, tearfulness, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and low productivity.

There’s a direct correlation between a lack of daylight and our mental health. SAD is linked to a reduction in sunlight and fewer daylight hours. It can be a debilitating condition for almost half of every year. It leads to time off work and less time spent socialising and doing the things that we enjoy and fulfil us.

It’s even more important to increase our exposure to what daylight there is during the darker months. Even if we don’t suffer with SAD. Arriving at work in the dark and then leaving in the dark for endless months at a time is enough to make anyone feel blue.

That’s why so many healthcare professionals recommend getting outside at lunchtime. Whatever the weather.

If we go back to our cave dwelling days, there was no electricity for artificial lighting. Our ancestors rose with the sun and went to sleep when the sun went down. Following the natural rhythms of the sun meant they were able to get as much hunting and gathering done as the changing seasons allowed, maximising their chances of survival.

Hormones, our Body Clock and Daylight

This genetic and biological need still lives on in us today. When daylight hits our eyes in the morning, it triggers the release of a hormone called serotonin. This is a feel-good hormone, responsible for boosting our general mood, allowing us to feel focussed and able to function throughout the day. (Although admittedly for many of us, we also need a shot of strong caffeine to kickstart everything…) When our body detects that the daylight is disappearing, we stop releasing serotonin and release another hormone, melatonin. Melatonin helps us wind down, feel tired and eventually, fall asleep. These natural hormonal ebbs and flows are linked to our internal body clock, or our so-called ‘circadian rhythms’. If we don’t see much daylight because we’re indoors all day without a window nearby, our levels of serotonin dip and our levels of melatonin increase, tricking our brain into thinking it’s time to switch off for the day. This is how we develop SAD, and why, if we’re inside all day, we can feel a bit stale without much get up and go or mental clarity. We hit that dreaded afternoon slump, which we fix with sugary snacks and more caffeine. And with lives so busy as ours all are these days, we hardly even notice this dip. It’s just part of life, right? But if we really stop to think about how often we feel lethargic in the afternoons, after five or six hours without daylight, we’ll start to see patterns emerging. Depression, anxiety and panic attacks have all been linked with reduced exposure to daylight. Even if it’s a dull, cloudy day, our eyes still detect daylight and continue to produce serotonin. So exposure to natural light is as important to our health as drinking enough water and eating our five a day.

Boosting Workplace Productivity with Natural Daylight

There’s little doubt, that spending the nine to five under harsh, artificial fluorescent lighting without any windows doesn’t make us feel good. This disconnect from natural daylight has also been shown to lower productivity in the workplace. One famous study showed that office workers seated near a window were exposed to 173% more white light and subsequently slept for an extra 46 minutes on average each night, than those who sat away from natural daylight. Similar studies have shown that workplaces that have lots of natural light from windows and skylights show up to a 40% higher rate of productivity and sales and an extra 15% more creativity. A scientific paper published in 2014 concluded that “Light exposure in the workplace may have long-lasting and compounding effects on the physical and mental health of the workers not only during but also beyond work hours”. It found that workers without windows rated lower on several measures of quality of life and had poorer outcomes in terms of sleep quality and daytime functioning. A 2011 study found a “statistically significant” 6.5% rise in sick leave in employees not exposed to natural daylight at their desks compared to those who were.

The Need for Biophilia in Architecture

Wanting to sit near a window is no flippant whim. It’s a basic human need, instilled in us by our ancient forbears. There’s even a word for it – biophilia, or, the innate tendency that humans have to want to connect with nature and other forms of life.

This need is so strong yet has been so overlooked in architecture for so long, that researchers are calling for an “increased emphasis on light exposure in the architectural design of future office environments”.

At NuDawn, we’re a leading manufacturer and supplier of bespoke architectural rooflights, skylights and flat rooflight glazing systems for the building and construction industry. We manufacture entirely in Great Britain and take pride in our safe, easily installed, practical and stunning solutions to flooding a building with natural light.

There’s irrefutable evidence that time spent thinking about the natural daylight in a building leads to a better engaged and productive workforce. A workforce that score higher in mental health measures and take fewer sick days. So can you afford not to be thinking about natural daylight and how it will impact on your bottom line?

Hannah de Gruchy, BSc (Hons)