(public domain image from www.pixabay.com)
Sunlight is good for body, mind and spirit. That's why the yoga tradition has alwasys recommended doing yoga outside in nature and in the presence of sunlight.
Now, a new study suggests sunlight also keeps us healthy by destroying bacteria that lurk indoors. The sanitizing effects are impressively close to those of ultraviolet light.
For their experiment, researchers at the University of Oregon collected dust from homes in Portland and placed it in dollhouse-sized rooms. The dust inside the tiny rooms — and the microscopic creatures that lived within — stayed there for 90 days under three conditions: exposed to daylight through regular glass; UV light alone; and total darkness.
When the team counted and inspected the bacterial samples, they were surprised by what they found. Lit rooms seem to harbor only half as many viable bacteria when compared to dark rooms, and nearly as few as those in the UV room. Researchers found 12% of bacteria in dark rooms were viable, compared to 6.8% in sun lit rooms and 6.1% in rooms with UV light only, according to the findings published in the journal Microbiome.
Ultraviolet (UV) light is a form of light that is invisible to the human eye. One of the biological characteristics of UV light is that it is germicidal – meaning it is capable of inactivating microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.
So, keep your curtains open permitting as much natural sunlight into your home as possible.
Sunlight is good for body, mind and spirit. That's why the yoga tradition has alwasys recommended doing yoga outside in nature and in the presence of sunlight.
Now, a new study suggests sunlight also keeps us healthy by destroying bacteria that lurk indoors. The sanitizing effects are impressively close to those of ultraviolet light.
For their experiment, researchers at the University of Oregon collected dust from homes in Portland and placed it in dollhouse-sized rooms. The dust inside the tiny rooms — and the microscopic creatures that lived within — stayed there for 90 days under three conditions: exposed to daylight through regular glass; UV light alone; and total darkness.
When the team counted and inspected the bacterial samples, they were surprised by what they found. Lit rooms seem to harbor only half as many viable bacteria when compared to dark rooms, and nearly as few as those in the UV room. Researchers found 12% of bacteria in dark rooms were viable, compared to 6.8% in sun lit rooms and 6.1% in rooms with UV light only, according to the findings published in the journal Microbiome.
Ultraviolet (UV) light is a form of light that is invisible to the human eye. One of the biological characteristics of UV light is that it is germicidal – meaning it is capable of inactivating microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.
So, keep your curtains open permitting as much natural sunlight into your home as possible.
RSS Feed