Adding a bedroom skylight provides a wide variety of benefits, not just aesthetically but also in terms of improving our health and balancing the energy in the bedroom – having an abundant amount of natural light helps lift our mood and make our day better.
Not many people consider installing bedroom skylights for various reasons, including privacy issues. But with proper planning, a strategically located bedroom skylight can do wonders for any living space.
Notice how walking into a room bathed in abundant natural light feels more light and inviting. It instantly calms your nerves and makes you want to spend more time in that room. These are just some of the benefits you can enjoy when you decide to install a bedroom skylight.
Imagine stargazing at night before you go to sleep or waking up more energised as you feel the morning sun hit your face. There’s nothing like an extra boost of vitamin D from the sun to help you get up and start your day.
There are only a small number of home features that can offer the same wow factor and at the same time provide a myriad of benefits as skylights. Don’t miss out on all the good things skylight offers.
Thinking of Putting a Skylight in Your Bedroom? Here Are the Pros and Cons
Whether you want to get your daily dose of sunshine or wish to enjoy sleeping under the stars, a bedroom skylight is a perfect choice. If you’re contemplating installing a bedroom skylight, here are some pros and cons of a skylight in the bedroom that might help you decide:
Pros:
- Excellent source of natural light: It can’t be stressed enough why it is necessary to have natural light in your bedroom. Exposure to natural light is very beneficial for our health and overall well-being. Since natural light is less harsh than artificial light, a bedroom skylight can make you feel well-rested. Believe it or not, allowing natural light to enter your bedroom during the day can help you get a better night’s sleep. The reason behind this is that the sun helps rebalance the body’s circadian rhythm (our body’s natural way of regulating the wake-sleep cycle), which helps produce melatonin. The more exposed you are to natural light, the better your body will be able to control its melatonin levels, helping you maintain a better sleep cycle. Installing a skylight directly over your bed can also serve as your natural alarm clock. When a room is totally closed off or artificially dark, you are less likely to wake up naturally compared to if the sun hits your face in the morning. If you feel like sleeping longer, you can opt to install a skylight blind, which allows you to control the amount of natural light that enters your bedroom.
- Increased productivity: One study done in the workplace revealed a 6.5% increase in sick days in an office with no windows while another study found that workplaces with better exposure to sunlight resulted in an increase in sales and productivity between 5% and 40%.
- Energy-saving: Decreasing dependence on artificial light will drastically lower your electricity consumption. When you opt to install an operable skylight, you can also reduce your heating and general utility consumption. Primarily because as the window glass heats up, the rule of physics says that the excess heat will diffuse either inside or outside – whichever part is cooler.
- Improved ventilation: Choosing to install an operable bedroom skylight means that it can serve the purposes of a traditional window. It allows for better air circulation – letting the stale air out to give way for fresh air to come into the room.
- Boost the resale value of your home: The aesthetic appeal that skylights give your home adds value to your property. It makes your home more attractive to potential buyers since homeowners love bright and spacious properties.
Cons:
- Possible roof leaks: If you don’t install the skylight properly, roof leaks may occur. Choosing a high-quality skylight that comes with flashing will help prevent leaks.
- Expense. Skylights will be an additional expense: There’s also an additional cost that comes with installing and maintaining one. But the benefits you get from it make up for the cost of acquiring one.
- Too much heat: Improper placement of skylights can bring in too much heat or too much light, especially at midday. This is why it’s crucial to properly plan where you will install a skylight. Adding skylight blinds also helps regulate sun exposure.
Bedroom Skylight Ideas for Inspiration
Skylights for the bedroom come in a wide variety of styles and finishes. There are also tons of bedroom skylight ideas you can draw inspiration from to create a healthy and relaxing bedroom and, at the same time, give an illusion of a bigger space.
Adding natural light to your bedroom transforms it into a calm, bright space during the daytime. The light coming from the stars at night sets a relaxing mood, putting you in a rest state to help you get a good night’s sleep.
Whether you want a rustic bedroom or a more modern design, the flexibility of skylights allows them to be easily integrated into whatever bedroom interior design you want.
Imagine Sleeping With a Skylight Over Your Bed
Installing a skylight over your bed is probably the best decision you can make for your bedroom. Imagine stargazing before you sleep at night or waking up with the morning sun to make you feel energised to start your day.
Natural light is way better for our overall well being as well. Too much exposure to artificial light can give us a headache and mess up our sleeping patterns, while natural light helps set your body clock to encourage a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
What are the Best Skylights for Bedrooms?
Some of the best skylights for bedrooms include fixed and operable skylights. Fixed skylights – as the name suggests, can’t be opened, while an operable skylight provides the added benefit of letting the air circulate in your bedroom. Choose a skylight made from laminated glass panes for added safety.
For extra privacy and protection from the direct heat of the mid-afternoon sun, it’s also ideal to purchase skylight blinds to allow you to control the amount of natural light that comes into your bedroom.
LED skylights should be avoided in bedrooms, as they emit artificial light. There’s no comparison between an LED skylight and a traditional skylight. Imagine waking up to your room bathed on the morning sun? An LED skylight cannot match this.
Add a Skylight to Your Bedroom With Feng Shui
Adding a skylight in the bedroom for feng shui is another reason why you need to install one. Likewise known as Chinese geomancy, feng shui literally means “wind-water” – a traditional practice way back in ancient China that claims to utilise energy forces to reconcile individuals with their environment.
Nowadays, feng shui is integrated into the contemporary world to align buildings and spiritually symbolic structures such as tombs. One scholar claims that in modern Western societies – “feng shui tends to be reduced to interior design for health and wealth.”
Whether you believe in feng shui or not, the abundant natural light that comes from skylights has a positive impact on your health. The decrease in energy consumption, on the other hand, allows you to save more money. Overall, skylights are an excellent investment since the return is tenfold.
Adding a Loft Skylight to a Second Storey Bedroom
If you have a loft-type home, a skylight in the bedroom is ideal since installing traditional windows is not possible. Adding a loft skylight in your bedroom also helps illuminate the room and make your home look more spacious.
Add a Bedroom Skylight for Rooms with No Window
A bedroom skylight when no window is present is the perfect solution. Skylights provide more natural light than traditional windows, and if you choose an operable skylight, you can also get the ventilation benefits that traditional windows offer.
Choosing the right type of skylight and its placement is crucial in utilising the maximum benefits of skylights. It’s a great alternative to traditional windows, and the benefits are definitely worth the cost.