Besides the fact that you can become grumpy when you have your period, suffer from hormonal fluctuations during your pregnancy or simply have a chronic shortage of chocolate, a shortage of daylight can also have a major impact on your mood. And women seem to be more affected by this than men.
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There is a lot to do about summertime and wintertime. And rightly so, because the decision is not that simple. Especially not when you know that daylight has such an influence on the mood of women and men.
By the way, the start of winter time seems to have more influence on the mood of women than on that of men. No less than 69% of Dutch women say that daylight has a significant to much influence on their mood, compared to 50% of men. Only 14% of women indicate that daylight has no influence on their mood, for men this is 27%.
This is shown by a survey by research agency YouGov on behalf of the VELUX Group among more than 16,000 respondents.
Not only the mood, but also the productivity of people seems to suffer from a shortage of daylight. I personally don't find it that remarkable, because as soon as the evening falls I'm more in for a Netflix movie or series than folding the laundry or something. Recognizable?
In women, however, it appears that not only mood is more dependent on daylight than in men, but also productivity. Over a third (37%) say their productivity is largely dependent on daylight, compared to 24% of men. The big difference between generations is striking:daylight influences the productivity of younger people (42%) much more than that of the over-50s (28%) and the over-60s (23%). Could that also be a reason that burnout symptoms are more common in women and young people? Women suffer from burnout more often than men, and this could just be one reason.
Compared to other countries, the Dutch turn out to be a sober people. Of the countries surveyed, the Dutch are the most likely to say that their mood is not affected by daylight at all. Fortunately. The mood of Italians is most dependent on the amount of daylight they are exposed to, not surprising with all that temperament 😉 .
Research from the World Health Organization shows that we spend up to 90% of our time indoors, cutting ourselves off from the energizing power of natural light. The effect of daylight on our sleep and productivity is significant, according to numerous studies. Exposure to sufficient daylight contributes to a good night's sleep and too little daylight has a negative impact on health. Just think, for example, about myopia in children that I recently wrote an article about.
For a good night's sleep, in addition to the right bedtimes, we need sufficient daylight during the day and sufficient darkness at night. If you get a shortage of that, it will affect your mood. But there are also many other consequences:
Not only good for your mood, but also for your overall health. Worth seeking out some more daylight in winter.
Our bodies can only synchronize with the so-called 24-hour biorhythm of 'sleep, work, performance' through the right exposure to daylight and darkness. Young adults have a delayed biological clock that makes it difficult for them to get up in the morning. Take care of them in particular, if possible have a bedroom facing east towards the morning sun. In the bedroom, also opt for curtains that block out as much light as possible at night.
Most scientists agree that at least two hours of daylight a day is good for our mental well-being. Go outside if you have the chance and try to stretch your legs regularly.
Illuminate your home and workplace with as much daylight as possible. Artificial light cannot copy the quality of sunlight, which is a natural antidepressant. So try to use daylight as a natural light source as much as possible. For example, also move the dining table or your desk closer to the window. Good for your well-being and your mood 😉 .
Shutterstock photo woman by Antonio Guillem
