Wellness & Our Environment

Over the past few years, researchers have identified different environmental aspects' effects on our moods. The color of a room, light exposure, temperature and more all contribute to the human experience. Individuals may utilize a strong understanding of the environment and behavior interaction, increasing the efficiency of their lives.

“I certainly see air and water quality being very intriguing from a wellness point of view. I also see wellness in more of an expanded view. Tunable lighting and the ability to manipulate color temperature is an aspect of wellness, from my perspective, even audio/video systems provide much-needed entertainment. Wellness, to me, means that when spending more time in our homes, we are focusing on a better experience within.” – Cory Reistad, SAV Digital Environments

Surroundings and Mental Effects 

Some college students pull all-nighters before exams. They sit in their dorm rooms, under fluorescent lighting, ignoring the bed next to them. The disconnection from one's surroundings is called attentional blindness.

The state of habituation may help individuals get through their studying sessions, significantly impacting their mood. Additionally, it may interfere with their ability to retain the information. The next day, they may fail their exam even after hours of intense study.

An impactful factor of their low testing score is their study environment. Though you may be unaware of its effects, your bedroom can promote procrastination. You may zone out your bed in the corner while your body associates the environment with resting, impairing your focus.

Physical environmental factors also affect an individual's mental health. Children who grow up around toxins like mold have a higher risk of developing disorders, such as depression. Growing up around junk food, smoking and pollution also impact mental health.

Fortunately, engineers and behavioral specialists developed technology and efficiency practices, improving individuals' environments for specific behavioral effects. People may enhance their well-being by altering their surroundings.

Productivity

A room's lighting has a great effect on productivity levels. With fewer hours of daylight in the winter, many individuals develop seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The disorder stems from limited vitamin D exposure and increased fluorescent lighting.

Increased feelings of depression decrease productivity, especially in the workplace. Business owners can optimize their employees' efficiency rates by improving natural light exposure. Smart light systems like that from Ketra utilize automation technology, decreasing fluorescent light exposure and increasing productivity, something a smart home integrator like SAV Digital Environments can help with.

Additionally, installing smart shades allows for more natural light inside during certain hours. You can connect the two systems through Lutron, inevitably increasing the efficiency of lighting and decreasing utility costs.

Rest

Individuals may also optimize their environment, enhancing rest and limiting sleep deprivation. When choosing the color of your bedroom, you may consider additional factors beyond those you like. Yellow, green and blue wall paint calms the nervous system and improves sleep.

Also, the temperature of a bedroom affects one's sleep cycles. The optimal resting temperature is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Homeowners can maintain appropriate sleep temperatures when using a smart thermostat.

The programmable device allows residents to control the day and evening temperatures autonomously. They also connect to the homeowner's smartphone, helping them control heating and cooling features from anywhere. Over time, the system can improve rest and increase utility savings.

Happiness

Our environment significantly affects our happiness. We can utilize automated technologies, decreasing stress levels at home or in the office. For the working mother, dinner can cause distress and anxiety after a long shift.

Getting home and making dinner in a timely fashion is challenging. Fortunately, automated ovens can reduce stress and increase happiness in the home. They connect to the homeowner's smartphone, allowing them to preheat the oven or warm a meal before arriving home.

Smart speakers, like Sonos, not only provide music for the environment, they can reduce stress in the home by answering one's questions through simple voice commands. Tending to multiple children can feel impossible, and adding a central resource of knowledge can help. Rather than helping one child with homework and cleaning the house, they can ask the smart speakers for help, like math or geography, or “play my favorite music playlist.” You can even ask them to vacuum the house with automated vacuums, which have shown to have a significant effect on residents' happiness and comfort levels. Clean environments reduce cortisol levels, increasing contentment and pleasure. The devices allow homeowners to spend more time with their families rather than cleaning the house.

The Next Step

There is always a way to improve your quality of life by altering your surroundings. First, examine challenges in your daily activities. Then question how you may shift your environment to support positive change. 

By Guest Contributor Shannon Flynn