Natural Light May Increase the Health of Workers

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, but it turns out that natural life exposure in the office may increase the health of workers. Scientists found that those with more light exposure had longer sleep duration, better quality sleep, more physical activity and better quality of life compared to those with less exposure.

"There is increasing evidence that exposure to light, during the day, particularly in the morning, is beneficial to your health via its effects on mood, alertness and metabolism," said Phyllis Zee, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Workers are a group at risk because they are typically indoors often without access to natural or even artificial bright light for the entire day. The study results confirm that light during the natural daylight hours has powerful effects on health."

The scientists examined 49 day-shift workers. A total of 27 of these volunteers worked in windowless workplaces and 22 worked in workplaces with windows. The researchers measured health-related quality of life and sleep quality with a self-reported form. Light exposure, activity and sleep were measured by actigraphy in a representative subset of 21 participants.

"Light is the most important synchronizing agent for the brain and body," said Ivy Cheung, co-lead author of the new study. "Proper synchronization of your internal biological rhythms with the earth's daily rotation has been shown to be essential for health."

In fact, the scientists found that employees with windows in the workplace received 173 percent more white light exposure during work hours and slept an average of 46 minutes more per night than employees who didn't have access to natural light.

The findings reveal the importance of light exposure. More specifically, they show how architects need to take these factors into account when designing buildings. Since natural light is important, they should create structures that augment daylight penetration.

The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.