Short answer: It depends on who you ask. Both cost and time spent on maintaining a healthy lifestyle is highly individual. We’ve decided to compare two key health factors, sleep and exercise, with circadian lighting, which has similar health benefits.
Let’s start with sleep
The importance of sleep for our well-being is widely recognized. It is often said that we “sleep away” one third of our life. But that is not entirely true. Sleep is crucial for our health and supports many of our bodily functions. Having a regular sleep schedule is important to maintain a balanced circadian rhythm. With good sleep comes both short-term and long-term positive effects such as a better immune system, improved mood and a faster ability to recover.
When you think about improving your sleep, you may first consider the quality of your bed. In a research study conducted by the Better Sleep Council, 39 % of respondents consider the mattress to be most important factor in a comfortable bed.
A comfortable mattress will help improve the comfort of your bed and affect your sleep. But your sleep also depends on your overall health condition, such as your diet, stress level, exercise, alcohol, your sleep surroundings and wake/sleep schedule.
Fancy a sweat?
Following the pandemic, wellness is considered a top priority by over 40% of the American general population. Indeed, according to McKinsey, the market for health and wellness products and services are growing by 5 to 10 percent per year.
It’s no secret that exercise releases endorphins which puts us in a good mood – but staying physically active also helps support blood circulation, a healthy weight, build muscle strength and prevent risk for certain diseases. Exercise also benefits our stress levels – with 65% of gymgoers claiming to use exercise as a tool for stress relief, according to an article by McKinsey.
How and when we decide to exercise depends on our goals and purpose, as well as what types of exercise are available to us. Running is perhaps one of the cheaper ways to break a sweat – but it’s not free either. Most runners are painfully aware of the importance of a good running shoe. Based on a weekly running distance of 10 miles, Runner’s World recommends to replace your running shoes at least once a year, before your shoe starts wearing down and cause you more harm than good.
Cost Comparison –Sleep, Exercise and Circadian lighting
So both exercise and a good night’s sleep contribute to our health and well-being. But how much does the average consumer spend? And how much does circadian lighting cost? Examples used are from consumer research studies conducted in the United States.
Sleep
The price for a good night’s sleep is difficult to measure. For this article, we decided to use the average price for a queen-sized, luxury range mattress, as reported in an article by the Sleep Foundation. The cost for 10 years is based on a research study conducted by the Better Sleep Council, which states that the average consumer replaces their mattress after a mean of 9 years.
Average cost of a high quality mattress: $1800
Cost for 10 years: $2000
Exercise
How often we exercise and what type of exercise we choose will of course have an impact on cost. For this article, we use membership fees for gym, health & fitness clubs as an example – a $32bn industry which according to IBIS World has grown by 4.2% in 2022 alone. Whilst Finances Online states that the annual cost for a gym membership in the US varies between $500-700, the average monthly cost of $58 is used as an example here.
Average cost for a gym membership in the United States: $58
Cost for 10 years: $6960
Don’t love the gym? The retail price for Runner’s World’s best rated running shoe in 2022 is $104, but keep in mind this is a consumable good you will need to replace once a year, every year.
Average cost for a running shoe: $104
Cost for 10 years: $2080
Circadian lighting
Daylight will not give you stronger muscles, but it can help you both sleep and feel better by making sure your circadian rhythm is in balance. With circadian lighting, you will experience the positive effects of daylight, even indoors.
Our circadian lighting solutions simulate the most important aspects of daylight. Our solutions use LED technology and are designed to last. With our free-standing Alven, the lifetime expectancy of the light source exceeds 100,000 hours.
Cost for Alven: $3999
Cost for 10 years: $399
…So what should you invest in?
There is no right or wrong when it comes to investing in your health. Our best advice is that you start by finding your definition of well-being. Does it include having strong muscles, a strong immune system, low levels of stress, good mood or better sleep quality?
Some people spend a lot of money on gym memberships. Others buy dietary supplements. Some buy expensive mattresses and others only shop organic whole foods. Some people do it all – and more.
But since you’re here reading this post – our guess is that you’re curious about daylight lighting. We might not be able to help you grow muscles or alleviate back pain, but our lighting solutions can help improve your sleep, productivity and help make you feel more energized.
Maybe you’d like to learn more about the positive effects of our lighting solutions and how to use it? Contact us!
Would you like to learn more about light and sleep?
Read our whitepaper about sleep
References
1. Perry, D. (2022) BSC Research: Consumer Mattress Buying Behavior, Part 3, All About the Bed, BedTimes Magazine. Available at: https://bedtimesmagazine.com/2021/05/bsc-research-consumer-mattress-buying-behavior-part-3-all-about-the-bed/ (Accessed: November 15, 2022).
2. Falardeau, E., Glynn, J. and Ostromecka, O. (2021) Sweating for the fitness consumer, McKinsey & Company. McKinsey & Company. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/sweating-for-the-fitness-consumer (Accessed: November 15, 2022).
3. Triola, P. (2022) How Long Do Running Shoes Last?, Runner’s World. Available at: https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a33233314/how-many-miles-do-running-shoes-last/ (Accessed: November 15, 2022).
4. Foley, L. (2022) How Much Does A Mattress Cost?, Sleep Foundation. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mattress-information/how-much-does-a-mattress-cost (Accessed: November 15, 2022).
5. Gym, Health & Fitness Clubs Industry in the US – Market Research Report (no date) IBISWorld. Available at: https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/gym-health-fitness-clubs-industry / (Accessed: November 15, 2022).
6. Andre, L. (2022) 87 Gym Membership Statistics You Must Learn: 2022 Cost, Demographics, and Market Share, Financesonline.com. FinancesOnline.com. Available at: https://financesonline.com/gym-membership-statistics/ (Accessed: November 15, 2022).
7. Dengate, J., Furrer, A. and Petruny, M. (2022) The Best Running Shoes of 2022, Runner’s World. Available at: https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a19663621/best-running-shoes/ (Accessed: November 15, 2022).
