Unlock Restful Sleep with Light Hygiene
Do you struggle to have deep, restful sleep? It’s a complicated and unique issue for each person, especially with the heat and light situation in Cochrane in the summer! I’ll do my best to offer the most impactful solution you can try today.
Most often, I see these three as the top reasons for poor sleep:
Light rhythms
Nutrition
Stress
We’ll talk about nutrition next time, and stress support after that! For today, let’s touch on what I mean by light rhythms and get you excited to sleep, and out like a… 🌛🌝🌜
A. Get Outside for a Walk!
Fifteen minutes of natural light on your face and eyes (cloudy or sunny, it doesn’t matter!) is the best way to improve your sleep. The exposure to sunlight helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle. That little bit of daytime sunlight provides your body with important hormonal information.
Cortisol production (in a perfect world) gently declines as the sun makes its way across the sky after its peak when we first wake up. Conversely, in the late afternoon, our brain begins melatonin production to prepare for rest. These two hormones need sunlight to function optimally, so that once the sun sets and your head hits the pillow, you’ll sleep like a champ.
B. Minimize Overhead Lighting at Night
We can’t always get out for a walk to expose our eyes to sunlight, but most of us can control the lighting in our home. Please, on behalf of your sleep/wake cycle and circadian rhythm, dim indoor lights at night!
To put it simply, overhead lighting tells our brain the sun is up, even if the sun has set. Low set (ideally below eye level), dim, and warm lighting informs our hormones and nervous system that the sun is setting, and it’s time to get ready for sleep. Indoors, we’re mimicking natural elements. Think firelight, warm candlelight, and an orange glowy setting sun.
So, as soon as the sun is setting:
Turn off overhead lights and turn on warm halogen/incandescent lamps, or a Himalayan salt lamp in your bedroom/bathrooms.
By following these simple steps, you can significantly improve your sleep quality.
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