We spend 90% of our time indoors despite the fact that indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outside.
Children’s bedrooms can often be the most polluted rooms in the house and so it’s important to air rooms, open windows and let sunlight and fresh air into the room EVERY day. It is a fact that up to 45% of all children’s bedrooms have much too high levels of carbon dioxide due to insufficient ventilation.
Lack of direct sunlight also causes health issues such as vitamin D deficiency, which can contribute to feelings of tiredness, fatigue and low mood so get outside and do something other than sitting in front of the TV. It takes effort, it takes more time and maybe even planning, but it’s worth it and also so vital to health and well-being.
Experts estimate that up to 30% of the world’s population suffer from different levels of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Scientific research has proved the links between lack of daylight and a variety of physical and mental problems where artificial light can disrupt our body clock, which can lead to concentration issues, high blood pressure – and more. It is vital that before bed we do not expose our eyes to the light from devices such as tablets, mobile phones and computers. This light plays havoc with our natural sleep patterns and body clock.
Most scientists agree that being exposed to two hours of daylight per day is a great boost to our mental wellbeing so whenever you can, try and spend some time outside taking in the fresh air and allowing the natural daylight to permeate your body. Daylight can improve children’s learning abilities by up to 15% and many new school buildings take this into account with big glass fronted buildings and atriums built into the design of teaching and learning spaces.
Why not look at this little video and see what you think?