As the clocks go forward and we celebrate the start of spring, research has found that almost three quarters of East Anglian residents are literal victims of daylight robbery.
A surprising 73% spend most of their daylight hours inside, whilst over a third (35%) confessed to spending less than one hour outside on a typical weekday. The research which was conducted by SunVit-D3 found that factors such as socialising (14%) and looking after the kids (18%) played a pivotal role in why residents are hibernating.
However, it’s not just a busy social and family life that is keeping residents from the great outdoors. Almost a fifth (17%) said their daily commute to work affected how much time they could spend outside each day and once at work, things don’t improve.
More than half (51%) spend no more than ten minutes outside on their lunch break. Perhaps this is because almost a fifth (16%) said their boss frowns upon them taking a full lunch break, whilst more than one in ten (13%) have too much work.
With three fifths (60%) admitted to finding a lack of daylight depressing, it’s no surprise that a lack of daylight is having more than just a physical effect on those from the region. With sunlight exposure generating the most of our Vitamin D intake* – an essential for healthy bones and muscles – a lack of daylight can also have a big impact on our mental health.
