Illuminating Good Winter Health
Harnessing light to support your circadian rhythm and bolster immunity
A recent early morning reverie had me dreaming of a well-equipped, east-facing exercise room with tall ceilings and a gorgeous wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, with sunlight streaming in to illuminate the space. There would be a wall of weights, a Pilates reformer and Wunda chair, a rebounder, and a balance board or two. Ahhhh. Heaven. Then I snapped out of that daydream as I struggled to get through my first set in my dim exercise nook.
With my husband and son away on a weekend excursion, I had the house all to myself, so I decided to try turning dreams into reality. I moved my mat, basket of bands, and weights to our stair landing, which faces east and has big windows. I could watch the sunrise through the trees, which I love. Like magic, my mood shifted. Though it didn’t have all the bells and whistles of my dream room, I felt energized, completed all the exercises on my list, and had a productive Saturday.
Growing up in Arizona and living in Southern California, I haven’t lived under months of gloomy winter skies, so I hadn’t given too much thought to the importance of natural light in the past. But the more I learn, the greater my respect and heightened awareness of natural and artificial light's impact on our health.
Darn shorter days…
My family has been grumbling about the recent time change and shortened days. I can’t say I blame them. Although I typically run out of steam early in the evening, even in the summer months, with our newly dark afternoons, I find myself dragging as early as 4:30. This has made me think I need to develop a “light strategy” for the winter to stay healthy and productive.
Indeed, sunlight and artificial light have the power to do both if we harness them correctly. With the change in daylight in the winter, it’s critical to prioritize light to bolster our health.
Support your circadian rhythm
Sleep is foundational for maintaining health, and while the dizzying array of pharmacological and natural sleep aids and gadgets has turned this into big business, the natural driver of sound sleep is a well-functioning circadian rhythm. Our natural 24-hour internal clock regulates sleep cycles, alertness, hormone function, metabolism, and even gut health. It is dependent on the changes in light to function properly, and there are steps we can take to bolster it.
The critical time to kickstart this cycle is within 30-60 minutes of waking up. Ideally, that means getting 10-15 minutes of unimpeded (no sunglasses) morning sunlight in your eyes during that period. (Cloudy days require 20 minutes or more.) However, if it is still dark when you get up, turn up the lights, raise the window shades, and then get outside when the sun comes up.
This is my favorite time of day; I love early mornings. It’s the most productive and creative time for my husband and me. Although we both eke in a bit of work before breakfast, I make a point of getting up from my desk and looking out the front windows as the sun rises. Our hefty dose of morning light is our standing walking date at about 7:30 AM. On the rare day that’s impossible, I make a point of standing on our front porch for about 5-10 minutes.
There is a circadian “dead zone” between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM (which has another benefit in the next section), so it’s equally important to get more sunlight as the sun sets. This wonderful golden-hour light is the critical second cue for the sleep cycle and helps transition the brain into nighttime. Gentle, low light could also help adjust the sensitivity of the eyes so they can better handle the jarring blue light of monitors, devices, and TVs.
Midday sunlight builds Vitamin D
When I would get a cold as a child, I often gravitated to sitting outside in the sun. Mind you, our backyard wasn’t particularly beautiful or comfortable. Being in the desert, it was rather spartan and austere, and the chair was the unpleasant 1960s folding variety. Although the experience wasn’t appealing, I intuitively knew I felt better soaking up the sun for a while.
I’ve often reflected on the innate wisdom of that practice. Interestingly, the best time to optimize Vitamin D production is when the circadian light zone dips between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, when UVB rays are the strongest. (Apparently, I was onto something!) While there are a handful of reasons colds and flu are more prevalent in the colder months, top of the list is a lower production of Vitamin D due to less sun exposure.
Vitamin D3 is vital for immune function, but it is also essential for bone and muscle strength, skin health, gut health, and it can even help prevent infectious diseases and heart disease. Although we can augment our Vitamin D levels with food and supplements, the sun is the first source. It may be tricky to get enough sun, depending on where you live and how much of your skin you can expose to the sun mid-day. The good news is that Vitamin D is stored in the fat cells, so if you can cumulatively get a couple of hours of midday sunlight a week, you’ve got a good base.
I often take a break around lunch for a few outside tasks, such as trimming the roses, filling the water fountain and dog bowls, or simply walking up and down the street. A little bit of sunlight here and there adds up. By he way, for these short bursts of exposure, I don’t wear sunscreen because it would block the absorption of the Vitamin D building.
Create a natural flow
One of my favorite things about a family car that we had for about 20 years was its interior nighttime lighting. The dash and buttons were black, and all the instrumentation was backlit in a soft red. It was cozy and relaxing. I loved being in that car at night. And with good reason. Of all the colors in the light spectrum, red light does not affect the circadian rhythm. It is the least jarring to the eye and doesn’t suppress melatonin production, allowing the cycle’s natural flow.
While we don’t have red lights in our home, warm yellow hues likewise have a relatively minor impact on circadian rhythm, so we use warm white bulbs in the 2700K-3000K range. (Check the packaging for the color.) Several years ago, I started dimming the recessed lights in the evening, even turning them off, and opting for low tabletop lamps. I found that the low light levels did indeed help me fall asleep much quicker.
However, since sun sets so early these days, I’m counterbalancing premature sleepiness by turning on many interior lights as the sunlight dissipates. That way, I don’t crash too early in the day. Once my husband and son finish dinner, the lights (and I) go into nighttime mode.
Mindfully approaching the changing daylight to support our bodies' natural rhythm and cycle can have a multitude of health benefits, especially in the winter. We can power up our mood, health, and immunity to live well, age great.