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If there’s one thing many companies have figured out is the importance of light in the workplace. Whatever company it is, wherever you go, there’s always bright light illuminating the office to keep people alert and productive. However, as we all know, nothing beats natural light. White office light becomes harsh on the eyes and an irritating quality of an office. Natural light is an essential component of any workspace if you want healthy and productive employees. Don’t believe us? Well, at Kayian, we don’t say anything unless we have the research to back it up.
In a 2018 survey of North American employees, researchers found that accessibility to natural light was the #1 most desired quality in the workplace - ranking above the fancy perks of workplace fitness centers and cafeterias. People are already aware that they’re spending their days stuck inside the office; however, they don’t want to feel like that. Adding natural light into the workplace improves mood and productivity as it helps reduce the feeling of working in a dark and falsely illuminated office five days a week.
The World Green Building Council states that employees are more engaged when working under natural light. Thus, natural light makes a motivated and happy staff, which all offices aspire to have. When an office is lit with natural light, the benefits are endless. Here is what natural light can bring out of an office:
Synthetic white light can strain the eyes and cause headaches. However, natural light does the opposite. In 2018, a workplace study found that employees who worked in natural light experienced 84% fewer headaches, eye strain, and blurred vision. Natural light can improve health and wellness in employees, increasing overall wellbeing and productivity.
When we’re exposed to natural light, it does more to us than increase productivity. It also improves our health. A long-term study found that employees who had access to natural light took fewer sick days than those without access to natural light. In total, employees with access to natural light took 6.5 fewer sick days per year than those without access to natural light.
Typically, our alertness decreases as the day goes on. However, a Swiss study found that employees exposed to natural light increased their alertness and mental clarity. Employees who were more alert in the afternoon were exposed to natural light compared to those who worked under artificial light.
The same Swiss study as above found that those who performed well on cognitive tasks had exposure to natural light. Those who performed worse on cognitive tasks were exposed to artificial light.
You may think it's odd that natural light is important for sleep quality, but it's true. Neuroscientists at Northwestern University discovered that employees who worked near windows received an average of an extra 46 minutes of sleep per night. This has a lot to do with the body's circadian rhythm and how natural light helps sync the sleep/wake cycle. So if you're looking for light therapy for circadian rhythm sleep disorder treatment, we have what you need.
Luckily, Kaiyan Medical produces MDSAP-certified and FDA-approved light therapy products and devices for your own at-home treatment or even for your patients. We've worked hard to provide solutions for both patients and healthcare practitioners, catering to various needs. Whether you're looking to private label your own light therapy devices or for home use, contact our team, as we would love to help you through your light therapy journey.
