The Benefits of Natural Light to Health & Wellness

Research supports day lighting's positive effect on building performance and human health

In the practice of architecture, day lighting refers to the use of natural light, be it brilliant sunlight or muted overcast light, to support the visual demands of building occupants.

Day lighting, Efficiency, and Productivity

Daylighting has been touted for its many aesthetic and health benefits by designers and researchers alike. Scientists at the Lighting Research Center (LRC), in Troy, N.Y., for example, have reported that daylit environments increase occupant productivity and comfort, and provide the mental and visual stimulation necessary to regulate human circadian rhythms.

Defining Health And Well-Being

The World Health Organization now defines health not as the absence of ill-health but as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being”3. The definition of health has been changing and now includes an awareness of the interrelationships between social and psychological, as well as medical, factors. The way in which an individual functions in society is seen as part of the definition of health, alongside biological and physiological symptoms. Health is no longer simply a question of access to medical treatment but it is determined by a range of factors related to the quality of our built environment.

Sun Light & Serotonin

Sunlight and darkness trigger the release of hormones in your brain. Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. This is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused. At night, darker lighting cues trigger the brain to make another hormone called melatonin. This hormone is responsible for helping a person feel sleepy and go to sleep. Without enough sunlight exposure, a person’s serotonin levels can dip low. Low levels of serotonin are associated with a higher risk of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a form of depression that is triggered by changing seasons.

*Building Strong Bones

* Prevents Cancer

* Healing Skin Conditions

* Improves Blood Pressure

* Prevents Brain Disease

* Eases Mild Depression

* Improves Sleep Quality

*Enhances The Immune System

The Natural Clock of The Body

"Circadian Rhythm"

Is any biological process that displays an endogenous, entrainable oscillation of about 24 hours. These 24-hour rhythms are driven by a circadian clock, and they have been widely observed in plants, animals, fungi, and cyanobacteria.

The term circadian comes from the Latin circa, meaning "around" (or "approximately"), and diēm, meaning "day". The formal study of biological temporal rhythms, such as daily, tidal, weekly, seasonal, and annual rhythms, is called chronobiology. Processes with 24-hour oscillations are more generally called diurnal rhythms; strictly speaking, they should not be called circadian rhythms unless their endogenous nature is confirmed.

Although circadian rhythms are endogenous ("built-in", self-sustained), they are adjusted (entrained) to the local environment by external cues called zeitgebers. Which Consist of light, temperature, and redox cycles.

*Scientific Fun Fact

How does The Circadian Clock Work

The "master clock" that controls circadian rhythms consists of a group of nerve cells in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN. The SCN contains about 20,000 nerve cells and is located in the hypothalamus, an area of the brain just above where the optic nerves from the eyes cross.

A pathway runs from your eyes to the SCN. Light seems to play the largest role in setting your circadian "clock." Sunlight and other time cues are used to keep your clock set from day to day. This can cause blind people to have problems with their sleep. It is hard for them to get the time cues needed to set their circadian clocks. Other factors may affect the SCN and the setting of the circadian clock.

Factors Includes

1. Exercises

2. Hormones

3. Medications

The 3 Most Important Influences of The Mind and Body!

1. Body Temperature

2. Sleep & Wakefulness

3. Various Hormonal Changes

Being a healthy with the Circadian Rhythm are in Tune!

Example the body temperature starts to rise during late hours of sleep his occurs just before waking up. This may promote a feeling of alertness in the morning. Body temperature decreases at night when the time for sleep draws near. A small drop in temperature also occurs in most people between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. This may explain why many people feel sleepy in the early afternoon.

There are also also downfalls of the Circadian Rhythm :(

* Sleeping Disorders-These changes may cause your body to have a hard time keeping up with the demands of your daily schedule.

* Jet Lag-This occurs when a person travels across many time zones.

* Shift Work-Shift work disorder affects people who work night shifts or rotating shifts. Their problem is much like jet lag, even though they never change time zones.

* Delayed sleep phase disorder (DSP)-People with delayed sleep phase disorder are not able to fall asleep at a normal time at night. They may stay awake until 2 a.m. or later.

* Advanced sleep phase disorder (ASP)-People with ASP tend to get very sleepy in the early afternoon. As a result, they go to bed much earlier than normal. This causes them to wake up too early in the morning. Then they are unable to go back to sleep.

* Irregular sleep-wake rhythm-People with an irregular sleep-wake rhythm are unable to set a sleep pattern no matter how hard they try. Their bedtimes may occur at various times in a 24-hour period. These times may also drift later and later.

However treatments are available for people with Circadian Rhythm Disorders!

LINK BELOW!

http://sleepcenter.ucla.edu/circadian-rhythms