LIGHT REVOLUTION: HEALTH ARCHITECTURE AND THE SUN
RICHARD HOBDAY
Do we get enough light in our daily life? The latest discoveries about light and health are going to change the way we live and work. They confirm what has long been suspected: that light has a profound effect both on our immune systems and our emotional stability and that simply lighting for vision is not enough. Recent research discovered a new sensory system in the human eye that is not involved in vision. If light entering the eye is strong enough, it stimulates non-visual photoreceptive cells that then send signals directly to the body's biological clock. This clock, in turn, regulates the secretion of a number of hormones in the brain, including melatonin, cortisol and serotonin. These hormones have a direct influence on our health; and the amount of light and darkness we expose ourselves to dictates when and how much of them, is secreted. "The Light Revolution" discusses the impact of light on conditions such as SAD, non-seasonal depression, jet-lag, PMT, Alzheimer's disease and eating and sleep disorders. The author shows how lighting can be arranged to prevent or improve such conditions. He, also, reveals that much that was once known about lighting buildings for health has been overlooked or forgotten. This book brings together historical evidence, traditional wisdom and the latest scientific findings from a number of distinct disciplines to explain the lost art of lighting for health and to inspire further discussion around this.
