Are you a part of the “inside generation?”

How much time are you really spending indoors? Would you say about two-thirds of your time?

That’s what most survey respondents thought too. But the truth is closer to over nine-tenths of their time!

90 percent of the population spend about 22 hours inside every day without even realizing it.

We may be part of the “Inside Generation” spending a lot more time indoors than we realize.

A study by YouGov of around 16,000 people across 14 countries found a huge disparity between how much time people think they are spending outdoors versus how much sunlight and fresh air they are actually getting.

One in six respondents in the survey admitted they almost never go outside, spending 24 hours a day indoors multiple days a week. The average day of an office employee includes as little as 15 minutes of sunshine.

Many of us don’t realize how long it’s been since we stepped outside after being swamped with deadlines at work or just watching TV or scrolling social media. But the negative effect on our health is significant.

It’s easy to forget about the basics when it comes to your well-being. Not getting enough fresh air and sunlight is something that can affect every aspect of your health. This can be as serious as respiratory problems or Seasonal Affective Disorder which, today, affects 15 percent of the world’s population.

Breathing indoor air is breathing up to five times more pollutants than the fresh air you find when you step outdoors!

Spending too much time cooped up inside is also detrimental to your sleep cycle. Over half of the participants in the YouGov survey did not know that daylight has a significant impact on sleep.

Your biological rhythms require light exposure to regulate your sleep cycles. Your light-dark cycles are critical to keeping your body in-sync with your environment.

Here are some ways you can get creative about spending time outdoors: Taking a break for lunch outdoors, taking a walk to the corner store instead of driving, working near a window, taking your coffee break outside, or conducting “walking meetings.”

Every ounce of sunshine and fresh air is worth a pound when it comes to your wellness.

Let’s get outside and enjoy a healthier life!