11 May Why You Need Natural Sunlight in Your Home

Why You Need Natural Sunlight in Your Home

Time spent outdoors in the sun carries with it many benefits, but what about when you’re indoors? A great way to maintain some of the benefits of being outdoors while in your home is to maximize the amount of sunlight that enters your home. Here are some of the many benefits that go along with increased amounts of sunlight in the home.

Lift your mood

Natural sunlight has a way of lifting spirits in a way that electric lighting simply cannot duplicate. According to a study led by researchers at the Baker Heart Research Institute in Melbourne where participants were exposed to varying levels of sunlight, more sunlight makes for better moods, while less sunlight can lead to symptoms of depression. Sunlight actually raises serotonin levels in the body, and more serotonin means your body is better equipped to regulate appetite, sleep, memory, and mood. It also increases levels of mood-enhancing endorphins in the body. Filling your home with more natural sunlight means that you can start enjoying some of these benefits even while indoors.

Boost your overall health

Natural sunlight can even have a positive effect on your overall health. A study carried out at Utah State University confirmed that increased exposure to sunlight is actually effective against insomnia, premenstrual syndrome, and even diseases like rickets and osteoporosis.

Save on energy

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that lighting accounts for 10% of household electricity usage. When your home has an abundance of natural sunlight to work with, you’ll have less of a need to flick on lights during the day, which means a decrease in your energy usage. This is great not only for the environment, but also for your wallet.

Beautify your home

Natural sunlight will bring out the beauty of all of the fabrics and furniture in your home. While incandescent lighting tends to have an orange hue, and fluorescent lighting tends to have a green one, natural sunlight is balanced and presents the decorative elements in your home in a light that shows off their true colors.

Take better photos

Similarly, natural sunlight makes for the best lighting in photos. Photographers generally have to program their cameras to cancel out the unflattering effects of incandescent and fluorescent lighting—a process known as achieving white balance—but natural sunlight makes this unnecessary. Food photographers will often even bring their culinary creations to a surface next to a window that allows plenty of sunlight into the home because this offers the best lighting for professional style photos. If you’re looking to take beautiful photos in your home with minimal effort, natural sunlight is the way to go.

If you’re looking for a beautiful window treatment solution for both letting in and controlling sunlight, consider investing in custom, handcrafted shutters, blinds, or shades for your home. We at Wasatch Shutter customize all of our shutters to suit every home and homeowner’s preference, and our blinds and shades come in options to suit every home and style.