Lighten Your Life?

Light has a powerful influence on all life.  It allows plants to grow, eyes to see, and can have a profound effect on how we feel.  The look of a room can depend on the presence or absence of light, and how it is filtered into the space.  Entire professions focus on lighting in different areas. What effect will your shades and shutters have on the lighting in your space and in your life? That should be pretty obvious, but what may not be so obvious is how it will affect your daily mood and life. 

Ambient Light 

The natural light that enters a space most often becomes part of the ambient light.  That is to say, it is not accent lighting or task lighting, but a more ubiquitous background light that affects the feel of the entire area.  This light has an obvious effect: it changes the appearance of a room. Colors become brighter in the light and more mute in the shade. Details stand out differently when light hits at different angles and different levels of brightness.  With more light, there is simply more visibility, and in the shade the room ambience can seem softer and more relaxed. 

Light is an Upper

Aside from the obvious aesthetic implications of controlling the light in your home or office, light impacts how you feel.  Sunshine in particular is hugely beneficial to the human brain. Sunlight triggers the brain to produce serotonin, which boosts mood and feelings of satisfaction while reducing feelings of anxiety and depression.  If you find yourself suffering during the daytime, you may want to rethink your window treatments to let more natural light in to have you feeling your best.

Regulate Your Energy with Light

Our bodies have a natural rhythm that is regulated by our own naturally occurring chemicals.  Sunlight is a primary trigger that helps your body stay in sync with the day. Darkness tells your body to produce more melatonin to put you to sleep, and sunlight tells your body to reduce melatonin to help you wake up and stay alert.  It is not just an absence of light at night that helps you sleep. Exposure to bright light in the morning leads to triggering melatonin production earlier in the evening, helping you fall asleep more easily at bedtime. Thus, darkness at night is crucial, but so is light during the day.  Use your shades or shutters to moderate your exposure to light for optimal restfulness. 

At Colorado Shade and Shutter, we know how important it is to light up your life—and how equally important it is to have the darkness you need when its time to rest.  Perhaps some shades for your bedroom will let in just enough light to let you know it’s morning or plantation shutters so you can fully adjust the light at any time of day. Let us evaluate your home or office to help you decide how to optimize your mood, energy, and well-being with the right window treatments for your home or office.