LIGHT AND HUMAN HEALTH

The human body is so complicated and very sensitive to our environment. Numerous recent chronobiological studies have revealed the influence of light on our health, both mentally and physically.  Our natural circadian causes our body to behave with different responses to light patterns.  When daylight decreases our body produces a hormone called melatonin that promotes sleep.  This hormone is sensitive to both natural and artificial light.  Another factor the human body has with light is the effects of blue wavelengths in decreasing the levels of melatonin.

Cancer is a common disease among night shift workers and shift nurses, who have to work against the body’s natural instinct of being awake during the night. There can be architectural solutions for this problem by having both dark and light spaces designed specifically for the workers activity needs.

Lights relationship to the body’s health requires special attention to individual needs. Each person may have different preferences to the amount of light, color and intensity of light.  It is necessary to think about the individuals using the space, and create a design with controllable lighting systems. Designs for the elderly, and individuals with disabilities are critical because of the quality and quantity of light necessary for their movement and activities in the space.

These findings reveal the important roll of interior architects in design considerations of daylight on interior spaces.  Creating spaces that cause less Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) by balancing the amount of red and blue light in their artificial lighting design creates a space with less undesirable physiological, mental, and behavioral effects on the end user.