One simple thing you can do that will have a huge impact on your sleep is to be intentional when it comes to your sunlight and artificial light exposure.
I recently listened to this amazing podcast by Dr. Andrew Huberman, Ophthalmologist, Neurologist and Professor of Neurology at Stanford, and it totally re-energized my interest in this topic. He does such a great job at explaining the science behind why light exposure and non-exposure is so important to our body clocks. I definitely recommend that you check out his podcast Huberman Lab and listen to Episode 2: Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When Awake. He goes into lots of detail about how our eyes help to control our body clock — and if you're a science nerd like I am, you're going to eat every second of it up.
But I’m going to explain this concept from a very simple perspective, and I’ll also give you some great tips to ensure you get light exposure at the right times, so you can feel and sleep your best.
Our Bodies Are Geniuses
It never ceases to amaze me how sophisticated and intelligent our bodies are. Our bodies know exactly what time of day it is based on the sun.
Here’s how it works:
We have these little neurons in our eyes that capture information from light, which then send signals to our circadian rhythm that controls not only our sleep but also our digestion, mood, metabolism, wound healing, as well as skin turnover.
These neurons capture different information from the light that's entering our eyes, such as the angle in which the light is hitting our eyes, and the contrast between red and yellow light as well as blue and green light.
There are two key times in the day when our eyes communicate to our brain where we are in our sleep and awake cycles: sunrise and sunset. At these two times, the sun is lower in the sky, so the rays are hitting our eyes at about a 45º angle. In the morning, there’s also a lot of blue and green light that’s being emitted compared to at sunset. And so, in the mornings, this sends a signal to our adrenal glands to start producing cortisol (the alert hormone).
Now I know cortisol gets a bad rap but we actually need it in our system to feel awake. You want cortisol in the morning because of the natural pattern our circadian rhythm is going for: a gradual rise during the first half of the day, and then a dip in the second half of the day so that the body can unwind before bed. This neural signal also tells the penal gland to both suppress melatonin (the sleepy hormone), and to start producing melatonin about 14 hours later.
When you think about it, it’s a pretty brilliant natural system. What this allows us to do is to wake up when the sun is rising and fall asleep when the sun is setting. This way, we get to maximize daylight and maximize our productivity during the daytime hours.
Of course, this worked really well back when we were sleeping outdoors and we didn't have artificial light...
Our modern lifestyle is sabotaging our sleep.
The problem now — and especially during the pandemic — is that most of us are inside in the morning. We're not going to work anymore early in the day, so we're not getting that sunlight exposure to kick-start our cortisol. And to top it all off, we tend to be on our devices at night (scrolling Instagram, watching television, binging Netflix, finishing up some work… the list goes on!)
This is problematic because our screens emit blue and green light. This blue and green light (remember, that’s morning-hour light) cues our brain that it's daytime, so our body wants to produce cortisol instead of melatonin. What’s also completely unfair is that these neurons in our eyes are more sensitive to light at night versus in the morning! So any little bit of light exposure in the evening is really going to wreak havoc on your body clock.
As a result of our modern lifestyle, we are not getting enough light during the day, and we’re getting too much light at night. No wonder why so many of us are not sleeping well!
So what can we do about it?
Here are four simple yet effective steps you can start implementing now to take back your rest:
1
Get Outside
As Andrew Huberman recommends, get outside early in the morning and at sunset for just 2-10 minutes. That's all it takes to activate these sensitive neurons. You’ll want to leave the sunglasses at home for these 2-10 minutes, just be sure not to stare directly at the sun (pain and eye damage is not what we are going for!)
You might be thinking like I did, “Well, I'll just look out my window instead of going outside.” But it turns out, that may not be as effective. Dr. Huberman explains it can take 50-100x longer to absorb the amount of light that's needed to send those critical neural signals when light is filtered through window glass. So instead, I’ve been taking my dog for a quick spin around the block at morning and at sunset and I have noticed a huge difference in my energy levels each morning.
2
Invest In a Happy Light
Everyone needs a back-up plan. If or some reason you can't get out in the morning — maybe you have a newborn baby, or perhaps you live in the midwest like I do and at times it can be very frigid — you're going to want to invest in a Happy Light. Happy lights, or light therapy lamps, emit that blue and green light that we get from the early day sun. You sit by the happy light or about 15-30 minutes (the manufacturer will give you instructions). Personally, I’ve found it helpful to sit by my happy light when I do my emails in the morning or drink my morning coffee.
3
Wear Blue Blocking Glasses
This tip is especially important to do after sunset. Here’s the kicker: not all blue blockers are made the same! You want to make sure that the blue blockers you’re wearing after sunset block at least 95% of blue light. My favorite brand is Stockholm Squared. These beautiful and effective blue blocking glasses are manufactured two lovely ladies who are childhood friends, Mimi and Maria. They're both from Sweden and they embrace the Scandinavian lifestyle of simple solutions for a healthy life.
Stockholm Squared offers a nighttime pair of blue blockers that does the trick perfectly because they block out 95% of the blue light. A tip I actually learned from Mimi and Maria is that, with glasses, you're not only protecting yourself while looking at screens, but you’re also protecting yourself from any artificial light. A lot of my clients say, “I'll just forgo the blue blockers and make sure I put night-mode on my devices,” — which does help — but wearing glasses ensures you protect yourself from all light sources, not just your devices.
Mimi and Maria offer a generous discount to Kelly Murray Sleep followers — so use be sure to use the code KELLY25 for 25% off your Stockholm Squared order!
4
Go Old School
In the evening, instead of having your overhead lights on full blast, use lamps — or better yet, candlelight — instead. When overhead lights are shining directly on you (just like the sun would at high noon), it tells your body clock that it's lunch time, not bed time. If lamps aren't possible and you only have the overhead lights, just make sure you have them on the lowest setting. But a really nice and relaxing thing you can do is go old school with candlelight. During your bedtime routine, turn off the lights completely, and light a candle that's scented with lavender or chamomile, as those scents induce relaxing feelings.
I hope that these tips have inspired you to be mindful of your light exposure. I would love to hear if you try them out and if you notice a difference in terms of your sleep and energy levels during the day.
I bet you will.
Let’s get you tucked in.
Tried all the light therapy and blue blockers on the market and you’re still struggling with sleep? There may be something more going on behind the scenes. In cases like these, I highly recommend functional lab testing to look at your hormones, gut health, thyroid, mineral deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I offer lab testing as part of my adult sleep coaching, so if this seems like something you want to look into, let’s talk. Give me a call and let’s get you sleeping again→
For more tips, you can read more articles on improving your sleep in my sleep blog. I have a ton of great resources.
My mission is to help you get the rest you deserve to be your best.
Sweet Dreams
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.