When people go house hunting they are often attracted to homes that have a lot of natural light.
The reasons are fairly simple: people benefit from more natural light in the home and it makes a home look brighter, bigger, cleaner, and even happier.
Though much of this is psychological, there are actually biological health benefits to living in a home filled with natural light – especially for children.
Why Your House is Dark
There could be a few reasons why there’s a lack of natural light in your home.
The first is that there is not enough light exposure coming from your windows and doors.
For example:
- Your windows aren’t large enough
- Your windows aren’t properly placed
- The window glass is dirty and dingy
- Your doors have no glass, and/or you don’t have something like a sliding patio door
If you want improve the amount of natural light that you have coming into your home then you should contact your local window and door manufacturer in London and request a free appraisal.
They’ll be able to talk you through your options and make suggestions that will greatly improve the amount of sunlight your home gets.
They may even recommend installing a skylight to boost your home’s light levels even more.
Why Kids Need Daylight
Studies show that kids receive a number of health benefits when exposed to daylight.
Natural light is responsible for:
- Improving moods
- Preventing diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Boosting vitamin D levels which can help to prevent poor bone health, cardiovascular disease, and reduced muscle function that occurs from vitamin D deficiency
- Possibly preventing nearsightedness
- Helping to prevent sleep-related behaviour problems
There’s also evidence that natural light helps kids concentrate and perform better at school.
If your children aren’t exposed to enough daylight at school, then having a bright home can help with their overall mood, health, and mental development.
This is particularly beneficial during the winter when they don’t get out much to play outdoors.
Other Ways to Make Your Home Brighter
Besides investing in new windows and doors, here are some other tricks that will help to make your home a brighter place that’s filled with natural light.
- Use mirrors to reflect sunlight from the windows into the room
- Replace heavy drapes with curtains that allow for more natural light – check the light filter level before purchasing new ones
- Make sure curtains/drapes/blinds are open during the day to allow light in
- Use bright paint colours on the walls of your home as they are more reflective (dark colours absorb light); colours you can use include white, off-whites, light greys, or light pastels – reflective paint finishes like eggshell wash will compound their brightness
Though making these changes can be expensive and a lot of work, it’s definitely worth the trouble considering the health benefits for you and your family.
After increasing the amount of sunlight in your home you’ll likely notice that everyone will be happier overall. They have more energy, and that your children may even begin to perform better at school.
Check out these related articles; A Baby Friendly Home, Are you Worried about losing your Independence when you Retire and 5 Essential Tasks When Moving to a New Home.
