A survey by YouGov of 16,000 people worldwide reveals that 60% of Americans believe daylight affects their productivity. Fifty-​five percent think exposure to daylight affects their sleep. Numerous studies have proven the role of daylight in promoting a good night's sleep while highlighting the negative impacts a lack of daylight has on health.

"Exposure to light-​dark cycles is an absolutely crucial part of our biology and that's due to the role of light in resetting our circadian clock each and every day," said Dr. Steven Lockley, neuroscientist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. "It resets our clocks to be in tune with environmental time, and light is the primary time-​cue. If you're exposed to higher light levels and bluer light in the daytime, then you get a better stimulant effect. You'll be more alert and have better cognitive function; potentially be more productive at work and so on."

"It's clear that many people across the world believe that daylight has a notable impact on their sleep and productivity and it's very likely that there's some truth in these beliefs. Studies have revealed that the daily light dose might be too low among people in the Western countries," said Peter Foldbjerg, Head of Daylight, Energy and Indoor Climate at The VELUX Group.

Our body clocks are informed by the different levels of daylight in a 24-​hour period, we need plenty of light during the day and darkness at night to ensure a good night's sleep. Some of the consequences caused by poor sleep include depression, diabetes, heart disease and weight gain. Other side effects linked to poor sleep include higher risk of work accidents, reduced concentration and low mood and difficulties in making decisions.

When consumers are having a tough time getting to sleep, many turn toward digital devices for distractions. According to AudienceSCAN, 64.7% of Window Coverings Shoppers have used a mobile device in the last six months to watch online or streamed videos, 79.7% have used the internet to check the news within the last month and 56.2% have played online games in the past month. This group is 46% more likely than other adults to find advertising on their mobile apps useful, so when they're up late killing time on their phones, advertisers can promote how window coverings will help them improve sleep quality.

Daylight can also help enhance productivity

As many as 63% of people polled globally in the YouGov survey said that daylight influences their productivity. The link between daylight and office productivity has also been widely investigated and various studies show that daylight and a view to the outside increase performance at work.

Workers in a call center were processing calls 6% to 12% faster when they had the best possible view versus those with no view. Other office workers, meanwhile, were found to perform 10% to 25% better on tests of mental function and memory recall when they had the best possible view versus those with no view.

Top tips for improving your sleep 

• Increased exposure to daylight will help you sleep at night: sitting near a window at work or school and making an effort to get outside more will also help with this
• Eliminate light from the outside to enter your bedroom at night
• Sleep in a cooler bedroom
• Avoid looking at electronic devices (TVs, smartphones /​ tablets) which distribute blue light before going to sleep; this can trick the brain into staying alert at the wrong time of day
• Establish a good bed time routine: read a book instead of having more screen time
• Give children a red or orange night light if they are afraid of the dark as these are the least disruptive to sleep

Show Window Covering Shoppers the benefits proper coverings can have on their sleep through TV commercials. Last year, 69.7% of these shoppers took action after seeing a TV commercial last year. Email ads are also effective, driving 55% of this group to action last year. These shoppers are also 17% more likely than other adults to take action after seeing an ad on their mobile smartphones or after receiving a text ad and 16% more likely to click on text link ads on websites.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. Media companies and agencies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.