Glazed extensions, orangeries, conservatories and adding patio or bifold doors to your property, not only have the merits of adding more space to your home, they also can have the added effect of improving your wellbeing.
If you’ve ever walked into a really dark house, you will know how it can almost instantly affect your mood. Dark homes can feel sad, cold and somewhat depressing. Equally though, if you walk into, or spend time in a bright, well-lit house, it feels happy and joyful. The light can make you feel energised and uplifted.
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The Circadian System
If you currently have a relatively dark home, perhaps with small windows and low levels of ambient light, do not fear! A well-built glazed extension, conservatory or orangery by Hallmark Glazed Extensions can bring significantly higher levels of light into your home. Bringing light into your dwelling can have strong effects on the body, including the Circadian system.
There are pretty substantial reasons as to why light affects humans so strongly. All humans have an internal gauge of sorts, known as the Circadian system. The word Circadian comes from the Latin words ‘circa’ and ‘dies’ which essentially means “about a day”. This is because it is an automatic system inside the body which reacts to the light-dark cycle of day and night. The light and darkness stimulate mental and physical responses within the body.
The light received by the human eye, stimulates hormone release, waking up, sleeping, eating and digestion. Equally, if the Circadian rhythm is out of balance, it can affect the body in negative ways including causing depression, obesity, diabetes and sleep disorders.
How Does Light Affect The Circadian Rhythm?
When we are exposed to light during the day, it helps to prevent the hormone melatonin being released. Melatonin is the hormone that triggers the body to want to sleep.
The length of your exposure to light affects your response to it. Longer exposure has a stronger effect. Steady exposure also has a more pronounced affect than intermittent exposure. So, if your home doesn’t have access to much daylight, you may notice yourself feeling more tired because of it.
Therefore, if you get enough light during daylight hours, you will likely feel more energised than if you have a home with limited daylight coming in. Extra energy makes it far easier to keep our mental state happy and buoyant.
Sunlight and Serotonin
Serotonin is known as a ‘happy hormone’. The levels of hormones in your body go up and down during the course of a day. There are also certain hormones which take part in the balance of mood and mental state. These hormones go through the blood, to different organs and tissues, sending them messages.
Serotonin is mainly produced by the gut and supports mental balance, the digestive system, sleep and the circadian rhythm.
A study took blood samples from 101 healthy men to see if there was correlation between Serotonin levels and weather conditions/season. Serotonin levels were lowest in winter, where there was lack of sunlight. Additionally a higher rate of Serotonin production occurred during bright sunlight and increased significantly with more light.
Therefore, it is important to us to keep your home as constructively exposed to daylight as possibly. We use the highest specification solar control double glazing in the industry, which ensures that your living space will be bright and usable all year round. This means that you can spend time in your comfortable extension, conservatory or orangery without it getting too hot in summer or too cold in winter. As the evidence suggests, higher rates of Serotonin are produced when we spend increased time in sunlight, so the more you can do that in your own home, throughout the year, the more it will benefit you.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
As mentioned, spending time in sunlight can influence the mood. In the winter, the reduced daylight hours and ergo, the reduced time spent in daylight, can actually cause seasonal depression, known as Seasonal Affective Disorder.
The main reason for SAD appears to be the reduction in daylight hours. The reduction in light means the cues to stop Melatonin production aren’t there. The levels of Melatonin then stay higher, making sufferers feel sleepy and their mood deflated (though the reaction can cause a full on depression).
The winter weather can make it harder to spend time in the daylight hours that are available. Having an easily accessible glazed extension or orangery, with glazed roof, creates a bright space, giving you the opportunity to spend as much time absorbing daylight as possible. When you’re more tired and the feeling low, it can be hard to motivate yourself to go outside in more unpleasant conditions, therefore a bright space in your home has the potential to be a soothing middle ground between getting enough light and staying comfortable.
How We Can Help
The team at Hallmark Glazed Extensions have over 30 years’ worth of experience designing bespoke glazed extensions. We have established experience designing intricate oak orangeries and hardwood framed garden rooms.
We offer bespoke conservatory design service, creating the right fit for your home and property, with a full range of frame options and colours. We can also design the perfect wooden or aluminium framed orangery for your home. An orangery can become a seamless part of the house but also offers additional light with recessed lighting and roof lanterns. Both of these options will not only create added space to your home but also provide you with much needed added daylight.
Equally, if you want more light but on a smaller scale, you can opt to have some patio or bifold doors with velux roof windows put into your home extension. This provides plenty of additional light but also brings more of the outside inside, making you feel more connected to your garden space, giving you added wellbeing benefits of being close to nature.
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