The days are heating up and it is time to (moderately) soak up that vitamin D! We are biologically wired to sync up with the sun. Research has shown that an hour or so of natural sunlight first thing in the morning helps to regulate your circadian rhythm (part of your body's cycle of sleeping at night (melatonin) and waking during the day (cortisol). Sunlight helps to regulate that cycle by teaching your body when to increase and decrease your melatonin and cortisol levels. Waking and getting out first thing in the morning, is one of the best things you can do to help this.
Light is made up of a number of wavelengths from blue to red, as well as some invisible ones: infrared light and ultraviolet light. While we hear a lot about the importance of Vitamin D, which is made by UVB, morning sun is actually incredibly important because it’s saturated in infrared and blue light. There is no UV light first thing in the morning, neither UVA or UVB.
Sunlight is 42% infrared light. It’s important because it stimulates collagen, increases bone healing and heals wounds. It’s why red light therapy is talked about in healing circles.
Infrared light has also been shown to prevent aging. Iit reduces wrinkles and scars. Infrared light is crucial when it comes to charging your body and creating energy.
As if all those health benefits of morning sun weren’t enough, it might surprise you to learn that infrared light around sunrise preconditions our skin to protect us from the UVA and UVB that comes out a bit later.
Those of us that rise early and spend at least three minutes (a whole hour is even better!) exposed to the early morning sun will enjoy all of the above health benefits and ultimately increase our longevity.
I can hear you now….Carrie, you are always talking about the negative blue light with computers….why are you saying that blue light is now good for us? Natural blue light is actually a good thing. There is a very big difference between the blue light from the sun and the blue light on your screens or LED and energy-efficient light bulbs. Blue light in nature is always balanced by regenerative red light and other wavelengths.
Morning blue light from the sun is what wakes you up by raising your cortisol. When blue light hits your body, it activates your pituitary gland, setting your circadian rhythm for the day.
Blue light has disappeared by sunset so you can fall asleep and melatonin then comes out to play. Light is the switch that controls this cortisol-melatonin see-saw. Interestingly, while melatonin is released at night, it is made during the day by morning light.
So, In a nutshell, our biology is wired to light. Make the effort to start rising early and getting out in the sunlight before 10am. You will be able to tell the difference!
