A new study claims exposure to daylight in work places could boost employees' health and well being.

Exposure to daylight in an office can determine sleep duration and quality, amount of physical fitness and overall quality of life, according to this new study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

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Researchers discovered offices with natural light exposure had healthier employees.

Employees with windows in offices exposed to more sunlight receive 173 percent more white light exposure during standard work hours. They slept 46 minutes more per night as opposed to employees who are not exposed to daylight during work hours.

It also seems that workers exposed to more natural light exert more physical activity than those who have windowless work spaces.

Exposure to daylight especially in the morning greatly affects a person's overall health in terms of alertness, mood, metabolism and overall productivity, said Phyllis Zee, senior author of the study who is also a sleep specialist and a neurologist.

She concluded that workers are at risk of poor health because office work places are typically indoors and often lack natural light exposure.

The study's results confirm that exposure to natural light has powerful effects on health and can boost workers' well being and ultimately, productivity.

In an experiment, researchers examined a group of 49 day shift office workers. Of this number, 27 worked in windowless work spaces while 22 worked in work spaces with windows.

Participants measured their overall quality of life based on their health and sleep habits via self-reports.

With the use of actigraphy (a non-invasive method of monitoring human rest and activity cycles), participants wore a wrist device that measured light exposure, physical activity and sleep. Scientists recorded the data to calculate activity levels and sleep time.

Ivy Cheung co-author of the study, confirms that light is an important synchronizing agent of the body.

She noted that when internal biological rhythms are synchronized with the Earth's daily rotation, light is essential in promoting overall health and wellbeing.

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