Why does morning sunlight improve sleep?
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Morning sunlight plays a crucial role in improving sleep by influencing our circadian rhythms and enhancing daytime alertness. The exposure to natural light in the morning helps to set your internal clock, making you feel more awake during the day and enabling you to fall asleep more easily at night. This process is largely due to the effect of morning light exposure on cortisol levels and melatonin production.
Here are some key points from the Huberman Lab podcast regarding the benefits of morning sunlight for sleep:
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Cortisol Spike: Morning sunlight helps increase the amplitude of the cortisol spike by up to 50%, which is beneficial for alertness and mood during the day. Regular exposure to morning light also helps decrease anxiety and depressive symptoms and supports better sleep at night 1.
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Melatonin Regulation: Morning light suppresses melatonin, the hormone that makes you feel sleepy. This suppression is essential in resetting your circadian rhythm, ensuring that melatonin's effects are appropriately timed for the nighttime 2.
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Biological Signals: The quality of morning light, characterized by its yellow-blue contrast, signals your body's internal clock that it is daytime. This helps regulate various biological processes, including metabolism and sleep-wake cycles 3.
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Practical Benefits: If it's difficult to get natural sunlight, light therapy lamps can be used as a substitute. However, they are less effective than natural sunlight in setting circadian rhythms and supporting overall health 4.
Incorporating morning sunlight into your routine, such as taking a walk outside or simply enjoying your morning coffee in sunlight, can significantly enhance your sleep quality. If you miss an exposure day, you can try to increase your sunlight exposure the next day to maintain your circadian rhythm's stability 5 3.
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