Study: Sunlight May Improve Workers' Health

If your job requires you to work inside an office for long periods of time, you may want to pull back the curtains to let in more sunlight, because according to a recent study workers who are exposed to natural sunlight (not artificial light) benefit from improved health.

Researchers at the Northwestern Medicine and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted a study involving 49 office workers. Half of these workers sat directly next to a window while the other half sat in a center cubicle with no natural sunlight. At the end of the study, researchers concluded that workers who say near the window were exposed to 173% more white light and slept for an average of 46 minutes longer than workers who did not sit near the window.

This study, which was funded in part by the National Institute of Health (NIH), suggests that workers who are exposed to natural sunlight sleep longer, are more productive, exercise more, and experience better all-around health than workers who are not exposed to natural sunlight.

So, how is sunlight able to perform all of these amazing benefits? Although it's viewed as precursor to skin cancers like melanoma, moderate amounts of exposure to the sun's ultraviolet radiation can yield some surprising benefits to one's health. It contains a healthy dose of vitamin D3 in its natural form, which is something that's not available in pills, supplement or even food. Absorbing the sun's vitamin D3 through your skin allows for better sleeping patterns, improved mood, stronger immune system, and more.

"There is increasing evidence that exposure to light, during the day, particularly in the morning, is beneficial to your health via its effects on mood, alertness, and metabolism. Workers are a group at risk because they are typically indoors often without access to natural or even artificial bright light for the entire day.

The study results confirm that light during the natural daylight hours has powerful effects on health," said researcher Phyllis Zee, M.D., a Northwestern Medicine neurologist and sleep specialist.

The bottom line is that workers, if given the option to do so, should choose to sit near windows to increase their exposure to natural sunlight. As noted in this study, it can improve sleep patterns, mood, and overall health -- something all workers can use in today's hectic world.

What do you think about this study linking sunlight to increased health? Let us know in the comments section below!