In my 37 years of chiropractic practice, I can’t tell you how many people have told me that, for no specific reason, they sleep poorly. This is unfortunate because adequate sleep is extremely important to our health. There are natural and safe ways to improve sleep. This article will discuss a useful method to get adequate sleep and be fully rested.
For many of us, we are inside our homes, schools, and workplaces in the morning, and don’t get out into natural sunlight until the afternoon. The concept of exposure to morning sunlight can seem strange to us. I would like to propose that we explore the possibility of getting outdoor sunlight exposure before noon.
If possible, try to get outside for 15 to 30 minutes earlier in the day or at least before noon. Keep in mind that while indoor light is helpful for vision, it’s not the same as full-spectrum outdoor sunlight.
When outside sunlight enters the human eyeball, it activates receptors that send nerve stimuli to the brain. The brain then sends signals to all of the trillions of individual cells in the body through a process called photobiomodulation.
Photobiomodulation essentially tells the body what time of day it is. Human beings are diurnal creatures. Daytime means that we would normally sleep at night when it is dark and be awake and busy during the day. However, we must use the light of the sun and the darkness of the night to direct the proper diurnal rhythms. If we don’t establish these normal rhythms, we are less likely to get adequate, natural, restful sleep.
By getting outside earlier in the day, we develop better cycles of being active during the day and have a better night’s sleep. Even on a cloudy day, outdoor light provides adequate full-spectrum stimulation to our brains, as long as we get that sunlight exposure earlier in the day.
It is not very difficult to organize our schedules to commit to a lifestyle of getting a little sunlight in the morning. For example, a person at home might do some outdoor yard work earlier in the day instead of in the afternoon. A person who lives in a condominium or apartment only needs to walk for exercise before noon. Younger children who live at home would certainly sleep better if they were encouraged to play outside earlier in the day than later.
Those who work inside buildings can arrange to park their car or take their public transportation a little earlier in the day and walk outside for 15 to 20 minutes to get some exposure to morning sunlight.
School-age children who go out for recess in the morning will be in good shape for early sunlight. Older kids, who don’t have recess, can just walk to school if it’s close enough or go to the bus stop a little earlier to enjoy the daylight outside.
It may take several weeks of practicing what I’m suggesting here to establish a normal daytime rhythm and get into a normal pattern of good sleep. When the benefits of a good night’s sleep are reaped, it will have far-reaching effects in improving many aspects of our health and lives.