With 1 in 4 UK citizens affected by a mental health condition, there is no better time than now to address changes we can make in our lives.
Research is affirming a link between poor lighting and ill health. Poor lighting is known to cause health complications such as: eye strain, fatigue and headaches but, did you know that it can negatively impact upon your mental wellbeing too?
A study by Boubekr et al., (2014) found that employees in windowless environments had greater levels of fatigue and poorer quality sleep compared to those who were working in rooms with natural light.
In fact, a study from ‘Staples’ (an American office retail company) found that 32% of their employees would prefer better lighting as it would improve their personal wellbeing.
So, why does poor lighting impact upon our Mental Health?
- Evidence shows that artificial lighting reduces the levels of melatonin in the body. Melatonin is an essential hormone which helps control our circadian rhythms – AKA our body clock. This mechanism provides us with sleeping patterns and body-temperature cycles. Therefore, a lack of sunlight can lead to sleeping difficulties.
- Sunlight provides us with Vitamin D – an essential nutrient that helps keep the bodies’ bone, muscles and teeth healthy. A lack in Vitamin D is linked with low moods.
- Illness – poor artificial lighting can cause headaches and eye strain which can have a knock on effect upon our mental wellbeing.
Interestingly there is a mental health condition named ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder’ (SAD) which is inherently linked with a lack of sunlight during months when daylight hours are shorter.
Since sunlight triggers our bodies to release endorphins – think of these as ‘happy hormones’ – ensuring our homes and offices are well lit by natural light (although daylight mimicking lighting is still a good option) can help boost our mood and work efficiency.
I’m not saying that a Huub will dramatically improve your mental health. However, at Huub we have ensured that our buildings support our clients’ health. That is why we use large windows in our home offices, bars and extra rooms to ensure you get your needed dose of vitamin D. Also, we actively use as many natural materials as possible and use only low volatile organic compounds (VOC) materials – since VOCs have carcinogenic effects and can lead to organ damage.
We want to help keep your mental and physical health in check.
So keep active, stay busy and let that light in!
If you are interested in building a Huub contact us on: 01305 250429
Or, email us as: sales@huub.space
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