The simple thing you can do every morning to help you sleep better at night
Most of us know the things we’re supposed to do before bed to help us get a good night’s sleep, but there is one simple thing we can try when we wake up that’s equally important.
Exposing ourselves to sunlight after waking up has a vital role in kick-starting our internal timing system, known as the circadian clock. This helps us feel alert in the morning and start to feel sleepy at night.
After waking up, try sitting by a window or popping outside to get the benefits of morning light exposure. iStockphoto
“The clock is very responsive in particular to morning light because it basically tells the clock that the day has started, and this prepares us for the day, leading, for example, to increased alertness, reduced morning sleepiness, and helps to set the timing for sleep the following night,” Dr Meltem Weger, circadian clock researcher at the University of Queensland, told nine.com.au.
The reason morning light matters is because of the hormone melatonin, which is controlled by the circadian clock.
“It’s usually produced and secreted in the evening when it’s dark and in this way, melatonin signals the body, ‘OK, now we have biological night’, and this leads to the onset of sleep onset. Morning light suppresses the production of and secretion of melatonin, and in this way reinforces wakefulness,” Weger said.
An ideal amount of morning light exposure is approximately 20 minutes, according to Professor Delwyn Bartlett, psychologist and insomnia specialist from the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.
“Anything longer is great, but that would be a good starting point,” Bartlett, who gets her morning light exposure during a run, said.
Getting that dose of sunshine after waking up seems easier said than done with our busy lives and indoor lifestyles, but even a small amount of morning light after waking is helpful.
“Having a small breakfast or going out with the dog outside is already helping,” Weger, who gets her morning light by riding to work, said.
The handy thing about morning light exposure is it doesn’t have to be a bright, sunny day, and you don’t necessarily have to be outdoors.
”The best situation is to be outside for a morning walk, or have your breakfast outside if you can, or in winter sit by the window that gets the most morning light to have your breakfast or your first cup of tea or coffee. It’s about making stuff work,” Bartlett said.
Even if you can only pop outside or sit by a sunny window for five minutes, it still helps with better sleep and general health. iStockphoto
Weger added, “People often have this misconception that cloudy conditions or winter light is not as effective, but it’s good to know that outdoor light is still far brighter than being indoors … you don’t have to live in sunny Queensland to benefit from it.”
There is a catch, though. Your eyes need to be exposed to the light, but you don’t need to look directly at the sun – simply just leave your sunglasses inside for a while.
“Our eyes have specialised light-sensitive cells in the retina, and they are receiving the light signal. They forward this signal to the circadian clock to basically set it with the environment,” Weger explained.
However, Bartlett warned morning light exposure isn’t helpful if you have irregular wake times and can actually make sleep worse. So, it’s worth keeping that in mind and focusing on your regular waking time instead if it’s inconsistent.
And as useful as getting some sunlight in the morning can be, you still need to avoid electronic screens and bright lights before bedtime.
“We don’t have enough light during the morning and during the day… and we are exposing ourselves to light when the circadian clock is biologically expecting darkness,” Weger said.
“There is more and more evidence now coming up that basically the timing of light exposure, or the wrong timing of light exposure, can have some impacts on health, and I have to emphasise, it’s still an ongoing field of active research.”
