If you have problems sleeping or you feel tired during the day, then the problem may not be in you but in your office.
A recent study has found that office windows play an important role when it comes to our activity, sleep and general quality of life. The research has discovered that people who work in offices with windows enjoy more sleep compared to those who have no or smaller windows at the office.
According to a report called “Impact of workplace daylight exposure on sleep, physical activity, and quality of life,” an office with many big windows will guarantee you a good night sleep. The study, which was published in the latest web supplement of SLEEP journal, was based on office workers opinions from 22 workplaces with office windows and 27 without windows. What it discovered was that there is a close connection between the amount of daylight in our workplace with our activities, sleep and quality of life.
The scientists behind the research claim that a quick and easy way to improve your sleep is to increase the natural light in your office. They have found that people with no or small windows at their workplace get 173% less exposure to white light. As a direct result from that, they receive 46 minutes less sleep compared to those who work in a room with many big windows.
In addition, the windows at our workplace can determine our daily physical activity. Windows make workers more active during the day. Also, it was discovered that people who spend their workday in a room without windows tend to have less vitality and to suffer from more physical problems. In addition, workers in offices with no or small windows have sleep disturbances, as well as poor sleep efficiency and sleep quality. Quite the opposite was the case with those who are exposed to a good amount of sunlight during the day.
The authors of the study share that they were amazed to see how the “remarkable” the role of daylight in our lives and work can be. Interestingly, they also give architects advice on workplace environments. The scientists recommend designers to create offices and other workplaces by laying special emphasis on lighting and exposure to natural light. They are confident that the offices of the future are those which have a good number of large windows.
