Enhanced Healing, Cognitive Function, Hormonal Balance;
Improved Immune Function, Stress Reduction, Reduced Cell Aging

Enhanced Healing and Recovery

• Contact with nature and the natural variability of daylight, particularly morning sunlight exhibit enhanced healing and recovery from illness, bipolar disorder, and SAD 9; this includes direct contact (vegetation), as well as representative depictions ( images) 5.

• Patients with tree views have significant shorter hospital stays, less need for pain medications 11 6 .
  

Healthier Childhood Development

• Students in bright day-lit classrooms show signs of growing faster, better attendance and healthier teeth. This transfers to the home as well.

• Healthy childhood maturation and development 12 have been correlated with contact with natural features and settings.5
  

Improved Attention, Concentration and Cognitive Function

• In day-lit classrooms reading improves of up to 26%.

• Nearby trees are associated with higher levels of attention and discipline, less violence and enhanced coping, adaptive and interpersonal behavior. 6

• Office settings with biophilic features result in improved worker performance, lower stress, and greater motivation (reduced absenteeism). 10

• Contact with nature has been linked to enhanced cognitive functioning, concentration and memory. 5
  

Circadian and Hormonal Balance

• Photobiology has shown that the internal circadian clock is set by daylight of specific wave lengths at different times of the day…the circadian rhythm controls the hormones in the pituitary, pineal, adrenal, and thyroid glands.

• Regular exposure to dynamic natural sun light avoids a lack of UV-triggered melatonin production, which has been linked to sleep disturbances, carbohydrate cravings, poor performance at task, short term memory loss, depression, anxiety, increase susceptibility to disease 15 including cancer (breast cancer is melatonin sensitive) 13.

• Relationship between circadian rhythm misalignment and cancer.
  

Improved Immune Function, Stress Reduction and Reduced Cell Aging

• Regular exposure to dynamic natural sun light avoids circadian misalignment (see above), which has been linked to cortisol over stimulation, leading to increased stress, suppressed immune function, insulin resistance, obesity, osteoporosis, and cell aging 14.

• Restoration becomes manifest in emotions and in lower blood pressure, slower heart rate, and improved muscle tension 16.
  

Vitamin D Metabolism

• Human physiology evolved to require direct sun exposure for metabolism of Vitamin D for the development of a healthy musculoskeletal system, preventing rickets and osteoporosis, maintaining muscle strength, and preventing chronic diseases such as type1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis 8
  

The Healing Sounds…

• The peaceful sounds of nature, the sounds of silence, offer welcome rest and healing from our sonically overburdened world.

• The tranquility of a garden or garden room allows us to re-connect with our own thoughts and feelings, rejuvenates and restores our inner balance and ability to cope.