Did you know with the latest update, watchOS 10, your Apple Watch is now equipped with a light sensor to measure the time you spend in sunlight? Apple emphasizes the significance of natural light, stating it’s crucial for the proper development of children's eyes and beneficial in enhancing mood, sleep, and reducing stress levels for everyone. Image of the Apple website The health application elaborates: “Time in daylight is an estimate of the amount of time spent in sunlight... Spending 80-120 minutes outside each day can help lower the risk of myopia or near-sightedness in children. For adults, around 20-30 minutes outdoors every day has numerous physical and mental health benefits.” However, the time Apple suggests isn’t quite enough. Our team of science advisors recommends spending at least half an hour outdoors in the morning and a total of two hours each day! Nevertheless, introducing such a feature is a huge step forward. It’s great to see a company as influential as Apple acknowledging our needs to live healthier and happier lives, focusing not only on exercise and nutrition but also on the benefits of natural light. The whole update list

Twilight indoors causes sleep and mood problems. If you spend most of your time indoors, it’s as if you live in endless twilight, and it can really mess with your sleep and mood. If you’re aiming for a healthier and happier life, think about how you’re interacting with natural light every day. Being indoors a lot can disrupt your biological clock, causing it to lag behind actual time. As a result, when we need energy we lack it… and when we want to sleep, sleep won’t come or is not deep enough. Not getting enough daylight during the day can even contribute to insomnia and depression. To counter this, get a routine into your life where you intentionally step outside, allowing your body to synchronize with the natural flow of time and light. Whether it’s a walk in the morning—for ideally more than thirty minutes—or dedicating other moments to be outdoors, this can help realign your internal clock, improve your sleep, and elevate your mood. If you want to bring good light in your life, watch the other animations to a healthier and happier life here: Try | Home | Good Light Group | Foundation Light supports us in everything we do. Good light has a great positive impact on our experience of energy, sleep, happiness and health.

In this meeting of the Good Light Group - our 16th already - we provide a brief update on the progress of the Good Light Group in the following areas: New participants. Our new Good Light Guide for general public Getting mandatory requirements for good light in rules and regulations. Watch the update Furthermore, if you missed the interesting presentations by Oliver Stefani and Adrià Huguet-Ferran, they are now available for viewing! Oliver Stefani - The luminous landscape of light loggers. Oliver discusses the significance of natural light to humans, delving into studies concerning dose-response relationships for mEDI and melatonin, sleep, pupil responses, and sleepiness. He covers the reports of light loggers—individuals who record, through handheld or wearable devices, the amount of light they receive during a normal day. The results of these measurements identify necessary improvements need to be made to get more natural light. Oliver also emphasizes the importance of reporting the season in which data is collected for human sleep and circadian studies. Watch the presentation here Adrià Huguet-Ferran - Kumux A brief overview of the work of Kumux: they transmit data to lighting control companies to transform static lighting systems into autonomous dynamic systems, requiring no user intervention. Adrià explained aspects of the system functions and the various software data available. The lighting systems are designed to mimic natural light and adhere to the principles of human-centric lighting, aiming to have a positive impact on people's health. Watch the presentation here

Twilight indoors Feeling a bit drained? This could be because, like many people, you spend the majority of your time indoors, away from natural daylight! We spend more than 90% of our time indoors and shielded from daylight. Indoors the light level is the same as the light outdoors at sunrise or sunset. Light from outside is not able to reach into our buildings. Therefore indoors we live in twilight the whole day. For our daylight detector this twilight during the day is too dark and in the evening too bright. Therefore our biological clock starts running behind the real time. When your biological clock is out of sync with the natural times of the day, it can result to a constant feeling of weariness. Aligning yourself more with natural light and the rhythms of the day can significantly alleviate feelings of constant fatigue. So, embrace the outdoors or expose yourself to good light to feel more in tune and energised. If you want to bring good light in your life, watch the other animations to a healthier and happier life here: Try | Home | Good Light Group | Foundation Light supports us in everything we do. Good light has a great positive impact on our experience of energy, sleep, happiness and health.

A summary of an interview from the NSWO with Marijke Gordijn If you want to enhance your sleep quality, the balance between light and dark plays a pivotal role in achieving this. Immerse yourself in more light during the day and embrace more darkness in the evening. International scientists, advocate for increased light exposure, around five times more than typical indoor levels, during daytime hours. Additionally, exposure to evening light should be reduced, around five times less than current levels. This is essential for optimal sleep and overall well-being. Photo by Gregory Pappas on Unsplash Excessive evening light communicates to your body that it's still daytime, which delays sleep and disrupts your internal clock. This conflict shifts your sleeping patterns, making you a later sleeper the subsequent day. Melatonin, which prepares your body for sleep, is suppressed by abundant evening lights, especially blue light found in many light sources including LED lights. LED bulbs can be dimmed and chosen in warmer tones to reduce their impact on your sleep. Unfortunately, the importance of light is not often realized. More daylight is needed to align your biological clock and to reduce your sensitivity to evening light. We suggest to implement these practical tips in your daily routine: Get Morning Light. If you struggle to fall asleep at your preferred time or wake up on time, aim for at least 30 minutes of morning daylight, preferably outdoors. If outdoors is not an option, sit within one meter of a window. Get Daylight. Seek at least 2 hours of daylight or natural window light during the day. If natural light is scarce, optimize your workspace with quality electric light that mimics daylight. Dim Evening Light. Dim your lights 3 hours before bedtime, maintaining just enough light to read comfortably. Interrupt Screen Time with the 20-20-2 Rule. Every 20 minutes of screen time, pause and look outside a window for 20 seconds, aiming for a total of 2 hours of daylight exposure daily. For those wishing for better sleep and a healthier life, adjusting the amount and type of light you are exposed to is a step forward in improving your well-being and alertness during the day. Read the full interview here (in Dutch)

Do you feel sleepy while sitting at your laptop? The light you surround yourself with can be the key to a healthier and happier life. This is step three to let more good light into your life. Install electric good light that mimics daylight from sunrise to sunset. Importantly when you are indoors during the day you should get about five times more light in your eyes than you are used to now and much less in the evening. If you spend a lot of time indoor, receiving about five times more light during the day can revitalize your mood and energy levels. It’s essential to get more light during the day and considerably less in the evening. This balance not only enhances your mood and productivity but also gets your body’s natural circadian rhythm in sync with the time of day, improving your sleep quality. The right light can be the key to a happier, healthier you, enhancing your overall quality of life. If you want to bring good light in your life, watch the other steps to a healthier and happier life here: Try | Home | Good Light Group | Foundation Light supports us in everything we do. Good light has a great positive impact on our experience of energy, sleep, happiness and health.

A summary of the article from LEDs magazine There is consensus among scientific experts on the need to develop lighting fixtures and lamps to support the health of the human circadian rhythm. The Circadian Light Research Centre study involving 248 scientists yielded 24 vital conclusions. They highlighted the importance of circadian lighting, lighting that can be adjusted in intensity and blue tones, which promotes optimal health by maintaining your natural body clock. They particularly emphasised the benefits of bright blue light during the day and the use of warmer tones and no blue light in the evening. Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash Given the unanimous agreement among scientists on the importance of circadian-friendly lighting, this presents the lighting industry with an opportunity to innovate and avoid potential liabilities. The development and adherence to standardised circadian lighting are critical, not only for commercial prospects, but more importantly, for mitigating adverse health effects associated with circadian disruption. This industry insight serves as an important incentive for lighting manufacturers to align their product development strategies with validated scientific standards, allowing them to create lighting solutions that are conducive to human health while seizing new business opportunities. Read the full article here

As the seasons change, with some regions transitioning from summer to autumn and others seeing the end of winter, it’s never too early to prevent or too late to combat the winter blues. Most countries experience rainfall and cold temperatures during these times, which can significantly impact your well-being. This is why we love to share the second step to a healthier and happier life. If you are inside stay within one meter of the window with your face or side facing the window. Otherwise, your eyes will still see only twilight. Addressing the symptoms of the winter blues and living a healthier, happier life involves maximizing exposure to daylight. The role of natural light in maintaining psychological well-being is crucial, particularly during the shorter and darker days of autumn and winter when daylight is scarce. Positioning yourself within one meter of a window ensures that you gain the maximum benefit from the available natural light. Therefore, prioritizing daylight exposure can be a significant step towards achieving a healthier and happier life. If you want to bring good light in your life, watch the other steps to a healthier and happier life here: Try | Home | Good Light Group | Foundation Light supports us in everything we do. Good light has a great positive impact on our experience of energy, sleep, happiness and health.

In a world that increasingly revolves around indoor activities and screens, we often neglect one of nature's most crucial gifts - daylight. We don’t neglect it when it comes to our plants but why can’t we see all the health benefits daylight gives ourselves? Both for our mental and physical well-being, good light (daylight or light that mimics daylight) has a lot of benefits. Not only does daylight help regulate our circadian rhythm and boost our mood, but it also plays a critical role in maintaining our overall health. We need the right light at the right time, and our new guide explains this in detail. What kind of outdoor and indoor light exposure you should have per moment of the day. Three simple and effective steps to live happier and healthier. The 20-20-2 rule, a rule for a healthy lifestyle when you work indoors and with screens. More info in our guide, download the full guide now on our download page

Daylight is an essential factor that positively impacts our overall well-being and plays a crucial role in maintaining good health. Just as good food and regular exercise are vital for a healthy lifestyle, exposure to natural light is also important in supporting you physiological and psychological, it positively influences your physical and mental well-being. But when it comes to health why are we only focussed on food and exercise but forget about light? Photo by Alina Diana Crisu on Unsplash Good light regulates your circadian rhythm: Daylight exposure is an important external cue that helps regulate your internal biological clock, also known as the circadian rhythm. This biological mechanism is an essential bodily function that regulates your sleep-wake cycles. Being in daylight during the day helps align our circadian rhythm with the regular time of the day, the day-night cycle. This helps improve your sleep quality and overall health. Vitamin D: To get sufficient vitamin D we need sunlight, this is a crucial nutrient that helps with calcium absorption and bone health this prevents various musculoskeletal disorders. An improved mood: Daylight exposure improves your mood and reduces symptoms of depression. When you are on holidays and outdoor all day, do you feel happier? Maintain a good eye health: Spending time in natural light is beneficial for maintaining eye health. So when you work a lot behind a screen, don’t forget to go outside or keep our 20-20-2 rule in mind. When have a lot of screen time, this can cause myopia especially with young children. Outdoor daylight provides a more balanced and less intense light spectrum compared to artificial lighting, reducing the strain on our eyes and potentially lessen the risk of eye-related issues. So, daylight is fundamental for a healthier and happier life, just as crucial as a balanced diet and regular exercise.

The best choice you can make for your health is: 1. To be outside a lot during the day, especially in the morning. At least half an hour! Daylight is the best light for our health. It has the right intensity and the right colour variation during the day. This is step one of our three steps to good light. Exposure to daylight is essential for optimal well-being. We advise you to spend two hours a day outdoors, particularly in the morning for at least 30 minutes. The importance of daylight lies in its unique properties: the right intensity and dynamic colour variation throughout the day. These factors contribute to a balanced circadian rhythm, which affects your sleep quality, mood, and overall health. Prioritizing outdoor activities or simply stepping outside for half an hour every morning can be an impactful step toward a healthier lifestyle. If you want to bring good light in your life, watch our latest videos, click here: Try | Home | Good Light Group | Foundation Light supports us in everything we do. Good light has a great positive impact on our experience of energy, sleep, happiness and health.

In today's modern life, we spend a lot of time behind screens, for work, education, or entertainment. A life without screens unthinkable. This trend has led to a significant rise in screen time, raising global concerns about health and also eye health. One effective rule for maintaining good eye health and general health is the 20-20-2 rule. The 20-20-2 rule is a simple and impactful concept. The idea is to take a break from the screen every 20 minutes, focus on the sky for 20 seconds, and spend two hours outside in daylight each day. 20 minutes of screen time Spending extended periods in front of screens is not beneficial for the eyes. It can lead to eye strain, dryness, discomfort, and, over time, may contribute to vision issues. Taking a break every 20 minutes helps relief the eyes and maintain eye health. 20 seconds looking at the sky After every 20 minutes spent using a screen, walk to a window and look at the sky for 20 seconds. It takes about 20 seconds for your eyes to completely relax. Need some help with the 20 minutes and 20 seconds? There are some free apps you can download like Eye Care 20 20 20 that can help. 2 hours outside The final aspect of the rule is spending two hours outside preferably in the morning. Natural light exposure is not only healthy for the eyes but for the entire body. Regular outdoor time improves sleep, mood, and overall health. Daylight always provides the right light intensity and spectrum at the right time, unlike artificial indoor lighting. You can focus your eyes at different distances and adapt to different light conditions, this is good for visual acuity and flexibility. Children The 20-20-2 rule is particularly important for children. The rate of myopia, or shortsightedness, is escalating worldwide, with children being at significant risk because their eyes are still developing. Myopia occurs when the shape of the eye is too long, causing light to bend inaccurately and results in blurred distance vision. Screen time and a lack of outdoor activities and light intensities are factors that contribute to myopia. For more info in English: Healthline For more info in Dutch: het oog ziekenhuis Or go to the website of Jantje Beton