Biohabitability and neuroarchitecture for a healthy home
In Europe, and beyond, often in the houses on a wall in full view there is a sign of different models with the inscription “home Sweet Home”, precisely to underline the importance of the house for external but also internal human balance. The British add something more to it and it is not uncommon to see the classic “An Englishman’s home is his castle”. A real castle where you can shelter not only from the cold and rain but also from many daily problems of life. All of us when we close the front door intend and hope to be able to keep out not only the heat and cold but also all the instabilities and uncertainties of the day.
The real home shelter from everyday problems
At home, people try to recharge and, now more than ever, after two years of the pandemic, even to work. In short the therapeutic value of our home it has grown enormously, and there are many who create a corner of personal relaxation in their own homes. Because if for many of us this space can become a real “natural projection of the soul” then take care of your home it also means taking care of one’s personal balance. “Tu casa sana” is a recent book written by the biologist Elizabeth Sylvester which explores the most useful secrets to make the house more and more biohabitable. Because the house has become more and more over time, not only the shelter for the night but the place for “Teleworking”, teaching children, gym or personal restaurant.
How to make the home useful for our health
So what are the main tips that we should be able to follow to make our home more and more useful for our health? There are 4 most important aspectsaccording to the author, which should be treated more to make our home more and more biohabitable: llight, spaces, ventilation and the cleaning products that are used. Light comes first because it is demonstrated, by cryobiology, how light affects mood and is therefore transmitted to the health of the body. And that’s not just because vitamin D is essential for bone health and mood. Sunlight perfectly charges our internal clock with the natural cycle of the day, gives us better rest, stronger energy and better digestion. This is because the bacteria in our body, the so-called microbiota, have schedules and it is useful to do so this natural “clock” of ours always moves in time.
Light and ventilation for a healthy home
In second place is ventilation. Today many homes have air conditioning but it is important renew the oxygen inside the premises in a natural and periodic way. You absolutely must not lose the good habit of opening the windows every day to air them in any season. The contamination, according to Dr. Silvestre, that accumulates in the house is clearly harmful and must be eliminated every day. 15 minutes a day are enough but it is necessary to do it even with any outside temperature, in the morning and in the evening. In third place the spaces because the house, it is now established, affects the brain and therefore on the emotions of each of us. Spaces can cause calm, relaxation, joy or creativity or on the contrary sadness, pessimism, fatigue. And the brain, well fueled by positive sensations, supplies the body with information that stimulates certain hormones. The spaces we live in influence our mood.
The dangers of the “indoor generation”
Neuroarchitecturein addition to the benefits of light and the effect that different colors have on our psyche, supports the idea that organic forms are linked to stillness, calm. Soft curves, in harmony with nature, promote relaxation. On the contrary, straight lines and geometric shapes can be perceived by the brain as a threat. It is also important to separate work spaces from those of rest, perhaps creating “islands” free from the dominance of digital. Another trick that will help make the house your own castle. Our generation is called the ‘indoor generation’. In fact, according to the WHO we pass up 90% of the day indoors, at home or at work. 21 hours a day that, on average, people spent in different buildings in 2018, according to the World Health Organization. Furthermore, none of the study participants had any idea that the air in a building can be even 10 times more polluted than that outside. It is mandatory to ventilate and pay attention to mold and humidity which can, among other things, increase asthma up to 40%. As a fourth point, the cleaning products. According to many health professionals, cleaning the house regularly with harsh chemicals can damage the lungs like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. To avoid this risk, there are ecological detergents that, in addition to being respectful of the environment, are also respectful of the body. In short, a healthy home is a guarantee of “healthy mens in corpore sano”.