HEALTH BENEFITS
Light and health are inseparable. Dr. Jacob Liberman calls light "the medicine of the future."
"Mal-illumination" is the term coined by pioneer light researcher, Dr. John Ott, the man who created full-spectrum lighting. It is a condition resulting from a deficiency in sunlight, an abundance of exposure to the harmful effects of artificial lighting and the subsequent effects of this on human health, performance, stamina and longevity. Put simply, "Mal-illumination is to light . . . as malnutrition is to food."
According to another recent study, Americans spend 85%-95% of time indoors. With fluorescent lighting currently being used as a primary light source in 92% of commercial buildings 1, and the vast majority of people spending an average of 7.5 hours per day at work 2 it is very likely that we all suffer from mal-illumination to varying degrees because we do not get enough exposure to sunlight.
Natural daylight is the important element in our day, linking vital body functions to the chronology of the planet - or more simply, our Circadian clock. The human circadian rhythm determines physiological functions such as sleep, digestion, alertness, depression, and general health.
The part of the brain that regulates these functions requires stimulation from natural daylight via the retinas in the eyes. If light levels are too low, these bodily functions slow down and alertness levels diminish. In fact, the National Commission on Sleep Disorders estimates that businesses in the United States lose more than $150 billion per year in productivity due to employee fatigue. 3
Daylight is much more effective than electric lighting at engaging the circadian system. This is because circadian rhythm responds only to high levels of blue spectrum light such as that found in daylight. Blue light is almost entirely absent from artificial light.
Finally, hospitals have noted faster healing times, by as much as 11%, in patients with access to natural light 4. As in the area of employee productivity, studies continue to be released each year on this important topic, but it's clear that spending our entire day under artificial light comes at a toll on our health.
Learn how the Suntracker One can bring these benefits into your commercial building.
References:
1: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs/char95/toc.html
2: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm
3: Management Review, October 1999
4: CADDET Energy Efficiency Newsletter, 2000