The Benefits of Natural Light and How Rooflights Can Help

When you install rooflights in your home, you maximise the amount of natural light flowing into the room. As the long nights of autumn and winter creep around the corner, we need to make the most of what daylight there is, and rooflights play a key role in achieving this. But why is natural light important and why should we be trying to improve our homes to accommodate it? Here are the benefits of natural light for you, your family and the world in general.

1)  Natural Light For Your Physical Health

Using more natural light means less artificial light, a shift that can lead to some health benefits. People whose daily environment, whether at home or work, is lit by fluorescent light can find that they increase their risk of eye strain and blurred vision. This can also lead to headaches or even migraines, which can be particularly debilitating.

In addition, people who spend more of their day lit by natural light often sleep better. This is because the rise and fall of the sun help regulate circadian rhythm, which is the body’s own gauge of when we need to rest and when we should be active. Constant exposure to artificial light can affect and confuse that rhythm, which in turn is detrimental to our sleep patterns.

With disrupted sleep comes major health risks. The NHS states that “regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, coronary heart disease and diabetes.” When it comes to your physical health, it is easy to see the benefits of natural light.

2)  Natural Light For Your Mental Health

In addition to benefiting your physical health, natural light is great for your mental health too. As mentioned above, the shorter days of autumn and winter are here and with that comes seasonal affective disorder, which can lead to depression in some people. In addition, many more feel the less severe winter blues, which can still make it a bleak time of year for a large portion of the population. Seeing actual, real sunlight lifts the mood of sufferers and helps to alleviate some of their symptoms.

Sunlight triggers the brain to release serotonin which lifts people’s moods as well as calming them and helping them focus more clearly.

On a less scientific basis, having a bright, airy room in which to live or work just feels nicer than artificial light and can really lift your mood when you spend time there.

3)  Environmental Benefits

It seems obvious, but it is also true that the more natural light you have, the less electric light you use and the better that is for the environment. Your carbon footprint is reduced as you are using less energy to light your home at times when there is plenty of natural light outside. If your room is gloomy even on a sunny day, that is the time to consider a rooflight to make the most of nature’s free illumination and stop burning fossil fuels just to be able to see in your own home during the daytime.

4)  Reduce Household Energy Bills

Following on from the environmental benefits, not only does using less electricity cut your energy usage, it also therefore reduces your energy bills. With the current cost of living crisis and rising household energy bills, this could save you a significant amount of money.

MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis warns that the average UK household’s annual energy bill could hit £3,000 by the end of the year. In addition, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) estimated that since 2010 energy bills have risen at twice the speed of average wages.

Anything you can do to reduce your energy consumption will benefit your pocket, and increasing the amount of natural light into your home is a great way to achieve that goal.

How Rooflights Help You Reap the Benefits of Natural Light

Having a window on your roof lets more natural light in. The angle at which they lie means that the light is less likely to be obstructed by trees or other buildings, so you gain the benefits of that light flowing into your property. They add to the light coming in through vertical lights too, ensuring a more even spread of light across the room.

If you want to install rooflights in your home to gain any of the benefits listed in this article, take a look at our large selection of quality products right now.