Coastal Transformation

The Holidays are here again! Have you made a decision on what to get your loved ones yet? This time of year, millions of people across the country suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (abbreviated SAD) and a skylight might be the perfect gift to help them to get their daily dosage of natural light and improve their mood. Even if you don’t know someone with SAD, a skylight is a great gift for anyone because who doesn’t love natural light?

What is this SAD we speak so much about? SAD, also known as “winter depression or seasonal depression", is caused by light changes during fall and winter and the effect they have on the part of the brain that controls many bodily functions. Helen Hanson, chair of the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association (SADA), explains that “the nerve centres in the brain, which control our daily rhythms and moods are stimulated by the amount of light entering the eyes. During the night, a gland in the brain called the pineal gland produces melatonin, which makes us drowsy and suppresses the production of the feel-good hormone serotonin. At daybreak, natural light stops this process – but on dull days there’s not enough light to do so. As a result, our body’s natural clock, known as our circadian rhythm becomes disrupted.” This is why people with SAD tend to feel moody and lethargic.

So how can a skylight help someone with SAD? One of the ways to treat SAD is by increasing your exposure to natural light. Skylights are essentially windows for your roof. They allow you to bring more natural light in while helping you save on energy costs throughout the year. During winter, the harsh weather forces us to spend more time indoors, and without skylights/big windows throughout your home, you’ll find indoors to be dark and grey and lacking sunlight. With skylights, you can spend time indoors while still benefiting from natural light during the day.

Is natural light the only solution to SAD? No, but it’s the easiest and cheapest solution to access. Sunlight is literally a free resource available to everyone. A skylight is simply a tool to help you get extended access to sunlight, but in the end that resource is available to us all. Other solutions to SAD include phototherapy, medication (antidepressants) and psychotherapy (talk therapy). While these can all help, they are expensive options that each have their own drawbacks/ side effects.

Getting more sunlight is a great solution to SAD. A skylight is a great way to achieve this, and they have so many benefits aside from being able to increase the amount of natural light you have access to. But skylights aren’t just for SAD sufferers. Skylights are a great gift for anyone who loves natural light, or for those who like to find ways to decrease their energy expenditure and carbon footprint. So if you have someone in your life that might enjoy a skylight, consider our offer for $50 OFF tubular skylight installations. Give the gift of natural light to someone special this season! Call us at (843) 357-3667 to learn more about how you can cash in on this special offer.