Does Your Need For Light Increase As You Age?
As people get older, they need more sunlight. Their eyes are aging, too, and they can’t see as well. Age causes shrinking of pupils and a thickening of the lenses of the eyes, so there’s a diminished amount of light that reaches the back of the eye. That isn’t something that a lot of older people notice – their world still seems bright – but it’s still a fact of life for them. Another issue is that they might be more likely to suffer from depression, especially if they don’t have a lot of friends or family members left around them. Between those issues and the fact that artificial lighting costs them money that they can’t really afford in many cases, sunlight is a great option.
If you find that you feel depressed when the lighting is low or when it’s cloudy a lot, you might have SAD, and you could benefit from light therapy. If you’re building a house or looking to buy one, look for a lot of windows. Let in all of the light you can, no matter what your age. It might become a little more important to you as you get older, but younger people can suffer from SAD, as well. Because of that they can also benefit from light therapy. Anyone suffering from SAD when they are younger should pay close attention to their light needs as they age.
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