A top priority for any homeowner should be to ensure that their properties are secure and protected from the weather. Especially if you’re like us and living in the UK (where you can never really trust the weatherman) we want our homes to be safe and well insulated. First once the basics are taken care of, we can look at the appearance of our homes with the aim of making living in them snug and enjoyable.
While looking to improve space and décor, we often overlook the importance of natural light. Lighting is something we rarely think about but really should as it can do wonders for our happiness and wellbeing.
OK, replacing and adding windows can feel like a costly job when renovating your home but when you learn just how important it is for boosting your mood and alertness, it may be worth looking into improving the lighting in your home and bringing natural light in – if needed.
Indeed, having the ability to control lighting in the home means feeling more positive, but also getting the rest we need, waking up feeling alert, and enhancing our periods of recovery.
Here we look at how lighting can influence your happiness and how to control natural lighting in your home.
The Importance of Natural Light
While surrounded by the comforts of modern life, we forget that as human beings, we are developed to be in tune with nature. For thousands of years, we spent most of our day to day life outside. We worked when daylight was available and rested when it was dark. This pattern of life, recognising how our bodies are aware of light, is called our circadian rhythm.
Our circadian rhythm is an internal 24-hour clock that works in the background as we carry on with everyday life. To ensure our circadian rhythm works most effectively for energy and rest, we need exposure to natural light.
When our bodies experience natural light, we are programmed to feel awake and energised. This exposure to daily natural light helps our brains to be more alert and enables us to work better. It also boosts our immune system, helping us to be healthier.
Once our bodies have experienced daylight for energy, they are then ready to rest at night. If we don’t have regular good exposure to natural light, we can have trouble sleeping.
Natural Light in Your Home
Those windows you take for granted or do not want to spend money on replacing are more important than you think. A simple way to maximise natural light in your home is to keep the windows clean.
When decorating a room, consider how the window covering can be installed to maximise the available daylight. By knowing the best roofing and siding companies near me, the work will be completed in an instant. You can hire them and check their services now. Use tiebacks for curtains or have blinds that fold away into a small area so they don’t obstruct natural light when open.
When renovating or extending your home, ensure planning in windows and doors is at the start of the process. If you have a flat roof or are adding a single story extension, a Skypod roof lantern can be added to allow natural to flood in from above.
Skypod roof lanterns are an innovative and easy to install system. As they are pitched above the flat roof, they don’t just add light but a sense of extra space as well. Thermal glass ensures fantastic insulation, and with a wide range of frame colours available, they are suitable for every type of property. For professional downspout installation in Austin TX people can check it out here and get help with their roofing services.
Natural Light for Wellbeing
With so many distractions at home, from TVs to tablets, it’s easy to forget just how important natural light is. If you have a garden and the weather is good, try and have a daily routine of sitting outside for a break.
According to studies, exposure to daylight can be linked with our sleeping patterns and overall quality of life. So if you are able, plan in a daily walk to be near nature. Even if its just walking down a tree-lined street, that can help your wellbeing.
Most importantly, when you start to plan any changes to your home, your first consideration needs to be, ‘how can I increase natural light?’
