4 ms·

Workers In Windowless Offices Lose Sleep

31 points by bsg75 12y ago

jedanbik 12y ago
This is anecdotal, but I've always found the contrast in average uptime between Unix and windows machines to be quite soothing. When the office is windowsless, that is.
mordocai 12y ago
I agree with the commenters on the article, this sounds a lot like correlation: not so much like causation.
- logfromblammo 12y ago
  There is a complex cause here, and the actual contribution of natural sunlight to the observed effect can't be easily separated from any other possible contributing factors. Not the least of which being that windowless workspaces are usually given to lower status workers, and lower status workers are more stressed in the workplace. Given what we know of circadian cycles from the study of people living in sealed apartments with all timekeeping cues removed, even the very short exposure to natural light one might get during a commute is sufficient to synchronize the internal clock. I'd be more inclined to blame the cortisol than blame the tube lights. But if it means more natural sunlight in the workplace, I'm prepared to pretend the article is groundbreaking, ironclad science.
  - WhitneyLand 12y ago
    >>lower status workers are more stressed in the workplace Not sure if that can be generalized. In my experience the opposite can easily be true.
- bentcorner 12y ago
  Same here. > Outside views are often badges of seniority or achievement in the work world To be fair though, if you're doing a scientific study and observe the data to trend in that direction, it's reasonably certain that this is something that you're going to try to control. From the journal link: > Participants (N = 49) included 27 workers working in windowless environments and 22 comparable workers in workplaces with significantly more daylight. My guess is that the they attempted to control for workers to ensure that the demographics were similar. I guess the actual journal article will go into more detail here.
- cliftonk 12y ago
  I also agree with this but do think the sample size is too small.
kansface 12y ago
I wonder if the study controlled for quality of life at work; its plausible that offices without windows are generally more miserable than those with windows (but not because of it).
NickWarner775 12y ago
I feel that workers would be more productive as well if they receive natural light during the day. It would simply make them happier.
cpncrunch 12y ago
It could be that the sunlight exposure during the day generates more melatonin at night, resulting in better sleep. However as other commenters have pointed out, it's unclear how well controlled this study was. I would prefer to see a study where they moved workers around the office and compared the amount of sleep to sunlight exposure for each worker.
nilkn 12y ago
I've never noticed a correlation in my personal life between sleep time and proximity to windows during the workday. That said, I can definitely say that, for me at least, sitting next to a window is a huge perk. I'd probably turn down a job if I couldn't at least sit near a window, unless there was something else about the job that was absolutely killer.
thret 12y ago
Shouldn't spending more time sleeping indicate that you are sleeping worse, not better? I want to sleep efficiently and minimize my sleeping time. I surely don't want to extend it.
alexanderss 12y ago
Does anyone on HN work in a windowless office? Curious what this is like.

31 points by bsg75 12y ago

This is anecdotal, but I've always found the contrast in average uptime between Unix and windows machines to be quite soothing. When the office is windowsless, that is.

mordocai 12y ago

I agree with the commenters on the article, this sounds a lot like correlation: not so much like causation.

logfromblammo 12y ago
There is a complex cause here, and the actual contribution of natural sunlight to the observed effect can't be easily separated from any other possible contributing factors. Not the least of which being that windowless workspaces are usually given to lower status workers, and lower status workers are more stressed in the workplace. Given what we know of circadian cycles from the study of people living in sealed apartments with all timekeeping cues removed, even the very short exposure to natural light one might get during a commute is sufficient to synchronize the internal clock. I'd be more inclined to blame the cortisol than blame the tube lights. But if it means more natural sunlight in the workplace, I'm prepared to pretend the article is groundbreaking, ironclad science.
- WhitneyLand 12y ago
  >>lower status workers are more stressed in the workplace Not sure if that can be generalized. In my experience the opposite can easily be true.
bentcorner 12y ago
Same here. > Outside views are often badges of seniority or achievement in the work world To be fair though, if you're doing a scientific study and observe the data to trend in that direction, it's reasonably certain that this is something that you're going to try to control. From the journal link: > Participants (N = 49) included 27 workers working in windowless environments and 22 comparable workers in workplaces with significantly more daylight. My guess is that the they attempted to control for workers to ensure that the demographics were similar. I guess the actual journal article will go into more detail here.
cliftonk 12y ago
I also agree with this but do think the sample size is too small.

kansface 12y ago

I wonder if the study controlled for quality of life at work; its plausible that offices without windows are generally more miserable than those with windows (but not because of it).

NickWarner775 12y ago

I feel that workers would be more productive as well if they receive natural light during the day. It would simply make them happier.

cpncrunch 12y ago

It could be that the sunlight exposure during the day generates more melatonin at night, resulting in better sleep. However as other commenters have pointed out, it's unclear how well controlled this study was. I would prefer to see a study where they moved workers around the office and compared the amount of sleep to sunlight exposure for each worker.

nilkn 12y ago

I've never noticed a correlation in my personal life between sleep time and proximity to windows during the workday. That said, I can definitely say that, for me at least, sitting next to a window is a huge perk. I'd probably turn down a job if I couldn't at least sit near a window, unless there was something else about the job that was absolutely killer.

thret 12y ago

Shouldn't spending more time sleeping indicate that you are sleeping worse, not better? I want to sleep efficiently and minimize my sleeping time. I surely don't want to extend it.

alexanderss 12y ago

Does anyone on HN work in a windowless office? Curious what this is like.