Researchers at Icahn Mount Sinai set out to investigate how increased access to daylight in your home affects your circadian rhythm, sleep, vitality and mental health.

Our study demonstrates the effects of daylight on physiological, behavioral, and subjective indicators of daily health in a real environment. Professor A. said: Mariana J. Figuero of Icahn Mount Sinai.

Dark light patterns are key to aligning your circadian rhythm and are central to many dimensions of health, including sleep and mental health. Although daylight provides the right amount and color of light to promote evenness of the circadian rhythm, modern indoor lifestyles usually provide fewer opportunities for adequate daylight exposure.

According to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people spent 65 percent of the time in 2020. The time is at home, compared to 50 percent. In 2019. Using this natural experiment during the COVID-19 epidemic, researchers tracked residents of Exo apartments in Reston, Virginia — 20 people spent one week in apartments with electric pane windows, also called smart windows that dim dynamically depending on the position of the sun, and a week A second with windows with standard vents. Participants wore sleep trackers, completed health and wellness questionnaires, and provided saliva samples every 30 minutes during the five evening hours to measure melatonin, the hormone that causes sleepiness.

They found that in just one week, the body’s melatonin production was delayed by 15 minutes when residents used the blinds, resulting in 22 minutes falling asleep and 16 minutes less sleep each night. In contrast, continuous, high-quality sleep under smart window conditions increased daytime vitality, reduced anxiety by 11%, and reduced stress by 9%.

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When it comes to choosing where to live, access to daylight is crucial to potential renters. This study shows that daylight and views are not only welcome amenities, but also have a fundamental impact on our health and even hormones, said Piers McNaughton, lead author of the study.

The research that has been done has demonstrated that smart windows are one way to improve the access of daylight to rooms in the building environment in order to improve the health of users.