In Remembrance

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." ~Joseph Campbell In observance of Memorial Day, the Naturalight Solar office will be closed on Monday, May 29, 2017.

Part Three: Four Reasons You Need More Natural Light

Last week, in part two, we talked about needing more natural light during the day in order to have a Better Sleep Cycle. If you missed last week's post, you can read it here.

This week we will look at how having more natural light in your life may Lessen Eyestrain and Headaches.

Do you work all day in a space that has little to no sun exposure, instead relying on artificial lighting? Do your eyes blur when you glance from your monitor to another object? Fluorescent lighting and glare caused by contrasting amounts of light and reflections in the environment can cause strain on your eyes that might even cause headaches or migraines.

Adding natural lighting to your home or office may help stop you from squinting at a computer screen or television. The natural lighting is better for your eyes and evenly distributed ambient light can help reduce glare. VELUX SUN TUNNEL Skylights are an excellent option for office spaces, as the built-in ceiling diffuser helps distribute the natural light evenly through the space, perfect for eliminating glare.

If you don't have a way to add more natural light in your work environment, try taking regular breaks from the computer, letting your eyes adjust focus by looking at objects both closer and further away and stepping out into the sunlight for a few minutes several times throughout the day.

Check back next week for the final post in this series.

Part Two: Four Reasons You Need More Natural Light

In last week's post we talked about using natural light to be more energy efficient. If you missed it, you can read it here.

This week we are looking at reason two for needing more natural light: Better Sleep Cycle.

Have you ever experienced trouble falling asleep at night? Or staying awake at school or work during the post-lunch hours? Though it may seem counter-intuitive at first, these feelings of sleeplessness and sleepiness can be caused by the same thing: the type of lighting you are exposed to during the day. For a lot of us, this lighting is electric rather than natural sunlight, and with time, it can have a huge effect on our bodies.

All light, whether it is electric or natural, has what is called a Kelvin color temperature. Most standard electrical lighting is at 3,500 Kelvin, and remains at this level continuously. However, sunlight can reach levels up to 10,000 Kelvin, and changes throughout the day. These changes that occur in natural light throughout the day and night (moonlight has color temperature, too) are what assist our body's in regulating our circadian rhythms so that we have energy during the day and feel relaxed and ready for sleep in the evening.

Spending so much time inside, under unnatural lighting, upsets these natural rhythms, resulting in both sleeplessness and sleepiness. If you feel like your circadian rhythms are out of sync, consider how much time you spend under unnatural lighting and in front of computer and tv screens during the day. Your body might need help getting back in sync by being exposed to more natural light during the morning and afternoon. Try taking your lunch break outside in the sunshine, adding a skylight to your home or office, or turning off the tv earlier in the evening and going for a walk outside.

Check back next week for more benefits of natural light in Part Three.

Part One: Four Reasons You Need More Natural Light

You may have noticed times when you come inside from a particularly bright day and stumble around the house for a few minutes as your eyes adjust to the much dimmer light inside your home. Our eyes are making these types of adjustments all the time, though usually less dramatically. But why make our eyes work harder when we have the option to add more natural light to our lives?

Do you work under artificial lights during the day? Having electric lights on during the day uses up an amazing amount of electricity, and it's also not very good for your health. Adding more natural lighting could make all the difference in your health and mood. There are more risks than you may think by using fluorescent light in your under-lit home.  Fluorescent lighting creates emission of treacherous chemicals like sulfur dioxide, carbon, and mercury into the environment.

We have four reasons for you to consider letting that sunlight into your home. In this first post we will talk about Energy Efficiency & Environmental Impact.

By increasing your home's exposure to the sun with new-age, thermal, energy efficient windows and doors, you will reduce the use of your electric lighting. This reduction of electric lighting and increase in natural lighting has a three-fold effect. Using less electricity, and especially fluorescent lighting, will reduce chemical emissions and your carbon footprint. It will also lower your electric bill, saving you money. And, having fewer chemicals in your environment and exposure to more natural light is better for your health. You could also use venting skylights to not only bring in more sunlight, but also fresh air into your home.

The boons of natural light don't end here, check back next week for Part Two!