One of our participants, Floris Wouterson, wrote a blog about why we need daylight.
Everything that lives on Earth deals with the 24-hour cycle of the day. From the single-celled organisms in the oceans, to plants and animals. So do we. Part of the day is light and another part is dark. Because of this, we have a circadian process in our bodies that is programmed at 24 hours. How exactly does this work?
What is 'good light'?
Everyone who sits inside gets the wrong light. It's good enough to see, but unfortunately it does little for your brain and body. basically you're sitting in biological darkness, and that can even be unhealthy.
"Being underexposed to good light (daylight) makes you sleep worse, have less energy during the day and more mood problems. If your body doesn't see enough daylight, it doesn't know what time it is and processes become dysregulated. The right amount of daylight is crucial to keep your biological clock properly synchronized."
This problem can be solved by going outside regularly, preferably for two to three hours. Should that not work out, a daylight lamp can be a nice alternative. "The daylight lamp simulates the power (1000 lux) and spectrum of the sun which is around. In an average office, you only get a 100 lux on your eyes. But if you go outside, these numbers are much higher. Even on a cloudy day, you get between 5.000 and 10.000 lux. Is it sunny? Then you go to the 100.000 lux."
Over the past 30 years, much research and publication has been done on the importance of good light, but this information still does not trickle down to society enough. "In practice, quite little is done with the information. More than 90 percent of people today have indoor jobs, which means we all spend far too long in the dark. It's almost frustrating that we're not aware of the disadvantages of that.
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