Importance of natural lighting and ventilation at home

Sunlight and the benefits from it are both available in abundance. Basking in the warm sun is not just great for gorgeous “sunkissed” Instagram pictures but your overall well-being as well. We require natural lighting like the plants that require sunlight to be green and luscious, which is why planning your house ventilation is necessary, especially if you spend most of your time at home. Before we explore how to inculcate sunlight into your home, let us take a look at the importance of sunlight.

Source of Vitamin D

The sunlight benefits are endless, but one of the most obvious benefits that we all know of is also one of the most important. Vitamin D is the “sunlight vitamin” made by our skin in response to natural lighting. This vitamin helps in regulating our immune system and the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Some studies have identified that vitamin D even helps keep flu and heart diseases at bay, while also boosting weight loss. 

Although there are Vitamin D- rich foods and supplements available, sunlight is the best source as it is naturally occurring. For you to receive the full benefits of Vitamin D through natural lighting,  plan your house ventilation with large windows and glass doors.

Keeps our body-clock going:

Our body has a biological clock that helps us sleep, wake up, eat, rest, and carry out most of our internal functions as well. This clock, like the actual mechanical clock, is coordinated based on sunlight. It determines our circadian rhythm, which is our body’s schedule to perform all our daily activities. You can notice the effect of sunlight on your body when you travel- your body adjusts itself to wake and rest based on the natural lighting in the environment. 

Nowadays, with exposure to artificial light from phones, TVs, and other screens, our bodies can be thrown off rhythm. For our body to absorb the sunlight benefits, it is necessary to allow your room to have enough ventilation throughout the day. 

Importance of sunlight on productivity and focus:

Sunlight benefits your executive functions in several ways, among which, the impact it has on productivity and focus has been well-researched. A study conducted by Harvard Business Review found that exposure to natural light during work improves employees’ contribution by 5-40%, and increases information retention among students as well. Moreover, it was also observed that those who worked under natural lighting were also stimulated to be creative and outgoing at work.

Furthermore, another study found that employees under natural lighting at work reported 84% lesser eye strains, blurred vision, and headaches compared to those working under artificial lighting. 

In a scenario where most people are working from home, airy rooms with bright sunlight are necessary to stay motivated. Along with this, creating a mindful working space will boost your productivity and efficiency at home.

Natural lighting is cost-saving:

The benefits of inculcating natural sunlight into your home go beyond the need for house ventilation- it is also great for your wallets. A large part of our expenses at home comes from paying for electricity. With the introduction of natural sources of light, the costs can decrease even up to 47%. If supplemented by other energy-conserving practices at home, the costs can reduce tremendously. Therefore, the benefits of sunlight are reaped by your mind, body, and wallet as a whole. 

How to implement natural lighting at home:

Furniture placement: 

Place furniture around your house in a way that does not obstruct the sunlight to come through your windows. You can even place a low-raised desk in front of your window sill so that you’re working directly under the natural sunlight.

Use lighter wall colors:

As light color absorbs sunlight, ensure that the room you work or spend the most time in, is colored in light pastel colors. You can even use soft drapes for the windows instead of heavy fabrics that hinder the entry of sunlight into your room.

Strategically place mirrors in your room:

Sunlight usually enters your room from one source- your windows or your door. To ensure that sunlight benefits your entire room, place a mirror on the wall facing the light source. The mirror reflects the gleaming rays and basks your entire room in the light. 

Install skylights or larger windows:

To maximise the house ventilation, a solid strip of skylight would not only make your rooms look more modern, but helps your house soak in the nourishing natural lighting as well. If skylights are hard to invest in, consider dedicating one side of your room walls for larger windows that welcome sunlight.
Assetz Property Group builds properties that consider the importance of sunlight as well as your relationship with nature. This is why all of Assetz’s properties are planned meticulously to encompass environmentally-friendly practices, large spaces for nature, community building, and overall well-being.