There has been a lot of interest in the last decade in the effect of light on human health. Biologists have discovered that not only is it vital for our well-being, but also that individual requirements for light vary as much as individual needs for vitamins. As humans have become more civilized they have spent less time outdoors; many people travel to work by car to badly-lighted buildings and then return home by car to spend an evening indoors watching television. We do not wilt visibly like plants in a dark corner, but there is no doubt that the shorter days of the autumn and winter do adversely affect some people. They experience lethargy, loss of interest in sex, and depression; as daylight increases in the spring these feelings disappear and normal energy levels return. While many people can say they feel a little let down in the winter, there are some people who are so seriously affected by light reduction that they have a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Sufferers become extremely depressed, have joint pains and digestive problems, crave sweet foods and lack concentration sometimes to the extent that they cannot continue their studies or work. They have great difficulty getting out of bed in the mornings and are exhausted all day.

Fortunately it has been found that being exposed to light which replicates daylight for several hours a day cures this condition. When this light, or real daylight, enters the eye it stimulates the pineal gland and inhibits the production of a substance called melatonin. Normally melatonin is only produced at night in the dark; this is what makes us sleepy.

Daylight is necessary for normal brain functioning and for the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle, so you can see that staying indoors when you are depressed or ill in any way can only compound your problems. Even if you are severely agoraphobic you could sit at an open window without any glasses; do this for a minimum of twenty minutes daily in the brightest part of the day.

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