Digital Overload and the Wellness Room Boom

Last holiday season, my husband and I gave family and friends alarm clocks designed to make waking and falling asleep more peaceful. The clocks simulate sunrise, play nature sounds, and tell bedtime stories. We thought they were great wellness gifts, but now I’m thinking twice. The clock requires an app and a subscription to recreate experiences humans have relied on for thousands of years: morning light, darkness at night, stars, birdsong, rain, and a soothing voice.

The trend toward curated wellness is showing up in both the products we buy and the spaces we create. According to Houzz’s 2026 Emerging Summer Trends Report, searches for “wellness rooms” rose 164%, while interest in “calming” spaces increased 139%. Searches for “biophilic design,” which incorporates natural elements into architecture and interior decor, rose 112% (Houzz, 2026). Wellness room images reveal a pattern: natural light, plants, warm wood, soft fabrics, and popular paint colors like “forest green, rain dance, white dove, and mushroom.”

Endless Stimulation, Not Necessarily Restoration

In a culture of constant stimulation, are we digitally overfed and naturally undernourished?

Modern life gives our senses plenty to process. Notifications compete for our attention, and screens glow long after sunset. Televisions, traffic, music, social media, and appliances create a nearly constant soundtrack. Scents are manufactured, and highly processed foods amplify sweetness, saltiness, and flavor. Our eyes move from phone to computer to television.

The natural world stimulates our senses differently. A breeze moves through trees, then stops. Leaves flutter, birds call, and light and temperature shift throughout the day. We feel variable wind, rain, humidity, coolness, and warmth from the sun. We might touch uneven ground, bark, sand, water, and other natural textures while smelling soil, rain, mown grass, flowers, or salt air. When outdoors, we experience countless subtle physical and sensory signals. Nature is complex, changing, and multisensory; something technology cannot exactly replicate… yet.

The health implications of artificial environments are emerging. A 2026 meta-analysis spanning 36 studies with 30 bird species found that artificial light at night was associated with reduced sleep, increased metabolic rate, accelerated reproductive maturation, and changes in daily activity (Diaz-Palma et al., 2026). Interestingly, these disruptions did not translate into measurable effects on survival, growth, or reproductive success (Diaz-Palma et al., 2026). The findings suggest that birds may adjust, even as their physiology and innate behaviors change.

Similar concerns about artificial lighting are evident in human research. A study involving 86,772 adults found that greater nighttime light exposure was associated with a higher likelihood of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder (Burns et al., 2023). In an earlier study with over 400,000 adults, more time spent outdoors in daylight (self-reported) was associated with better mood, increased happiness, and fewer sleep difficulties (Burns et al., 2021). Although these two human studies were observational, they add to evidence that how we experience light matters.

Can We Replicate Nature?

When I worked in hospitals, I remember envying the smokers because they had permission to go outside every few hours. They could step away from the fluorescent lights, machines, sterile hallways, and constant demands. Even for a few minutes, they felt the outdoor air, natural light, and whatever greenery happened to be nearby.

A nurse friend recently told me about her hospital creating a room where healthcare workers could escape the stress of their shifts. Intrigued, I looked into the research and discovered a 2025 study involving 18 hospitals that converted underused spaces into “Recharge Rooms.” These rooms featured projected natural landscapes, imitation plants, essential oil diffusers, low lighting, music, and nature sounds (Cooke et al., 2025). After using the rooms, healthcare workers reported feeling less stressed, more hopeful and alert (Cooke et al., 2025). The study was not a randomized controlled trial so the results cannot establish causation, but the findings are intriguing.

The recharge rooms raise an interesting question: How does experiencing nature indoors compare with actually being outside?

In an earlier experiment, researchers compared six minutes in an actual forest with six minutes watching a video of the same forest through a 360-degree virtual reality headset (Browning et al., 2020). Participants rated both experiences as more restorative than sitting indoors without nature. Importantly, positive mood increased after the outdoor experience, while remaining unchanged following the virtual experience (Browning et al., 2020).

In a more recent meta-analysis of 16 studies, researchers found that nature exposure improved perceived mental restoration and mood (Malibary et al., 2026). When they examined different forms of exposure separately, real nature showed a statistically significant benefit, while artificial and virtual nature did not (Malibary et al., 2026). However, because there were so few studies on simulated nature, it cannot be concluded that being outside is definitely better.

More research is needed to better understand how closely simulated nature can replicate the restorative benefits of the real thing. Or, maybe, instead of trying to recreate nature indoors, we could all make an effort to spend more time outdoors whenever possible.

What Are You Feeding Your Senses?

I know most of us do not have extra space for a wellness room or regular access to a forest, or even a park. But, we can begin by noticing our everyday sensory environments and find small ways to bring in organic aspects of the natural world.

Where does natural light enter your indoor space? Can you position yourself so you see the sky or trees? Can you open a window and feel the breeze or listen for natural sounds? Do you have ways to experience quiet, darkness, changing temperatures, and natural textures? Can you introduce more live plants to your space? Can you step outside more often throughout your day?

For years, we have paid attention to what we feed our bodies and minds. The “wellness room boom” may be inviting us to consider what we are feeding our senses and whether we can find natural sources, rather than artificial, tech-based substitutes, to fully nourish ourselves.

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