Light has many benefits we are not even aware of, and it is not only a visual effect it contributes to. The quality of image, intensity, contrast, shape, and perception depends on light, but it also has a great impact on the psychological and physical health of humans. The truth is that light can help you enhance your mood and stabilize your circadian rhythm. A stable circadian rhythm ultimately influences the quality of your sleep; hence, you will be able to get a better and deeper night’s sleep. Additionally, light can help decrease depression rates and even improve cognitive performance. There are different ways light may influence our well-being, and in the text below, we will list some of them.
Circadian Rhythm
To put it simply, the circadian rhythm is our inner clock. It dictates the secretion of hormones such as melatonin and cortisol. Namely, blue light decreases melatonin levels and helps our body stay awake, while red light increases melatonin levels, which signals that our body is ready for bed. In this line, without enough melatonin, people are prone to sleep problems which can result in behavioral changes. Healthy melatonin levels could be maintained simply by avoiding blue light with the end of the day approaching. There are technological advancements such as red light therapy machine that could stimulate your endocrine cells in producing these important hormones for normal bodily processes.
Another influence of the circadian rhythm is the limbic system. The limbic system is responsible for emotion regulation. Emotions such as sadness, happiness, anger, rage, etc. are under limbic system control and are directly connected to our mood and functioning.
Enhanced Productivity
Just as we previously mentioned, red and blue light are responsible for your body’s activation but also for your productivity. Firstly, working in an environment with “blue-enriched” bulbs is connected to mental performance, which consequently leads to better productivity and vitality and suppresses sleepiness during the day. If you are working from home, then it would be perfect to face the window. Excuses such as broken and cold wooden windows are not acceptable since many notable expert services dealing with wood window repair can certainly handle it. Receiving natural light has numerous cognitive benefits and improves mood. According to some studies, when being exposed to light, people tend to have better brain performance and get more creative ideas, which makes brainstorming more vivid.
Light Therapy
How much light is important suggests the fact that there are light therapy rooms. Namely, light is used for medical purposes. Light exposure has the power to change brain chemicals and impact mood. The therapy is conducted with the patients being exposed to light in the first hour of waking up. One of the outcomes is increased serotonin levels, which consequently leads to a better mood.
Light is one of the crucial elements for human well-being and it certainly has the leverage to lift us up. Alternatively, dark space tends to shut our bodies down and lower our performance. In this line, spending your time in not-enough-lit rooms may promote depressive and anxious thoughts and decrease vitamin D levels, which can have a negative influence on your overall health.
