🔋Morning Sunlight: Your Brain’s Natural Reset Button (ATP#23)

On the 31st of August, we set the clocks forward by one hour, as spring is coming up in the southern hemisphere. After several weeks of leaving the house with natural sunlight in the morning, it’s dark again. Sunrise shifted from 7 am to 8 am.

My children’s school starts at 8 am, which means they’re unable to get any natural sunlight before class.

Every year, there’s a lot of discussion about this change: Some people complain about dark mornings; others just want a stable time zone, regardless of which one. However, most people I’ve talked to prefer more sunlight in the afternoon and say they don’t mind the dark mornings.

And yes, I understand their reasons, such as having more time for after-work activities. But from a neuroscience perspective, the priority should always be on morning sunlight exposure.

In this newsletter edition, we’ll take a few rays of the sunlight I’m currently craving and shine them on the research. 🌞 

Your biological clock uses light to regulate itself

Every living being has a circadian rhythm. That’s your internal clock telling you when to wake up, when to go to sleep, when to be hungry, etc.

And the strongest influence on your internal clock is light exposure. The light that enters your eyes stimulates a region in your brain called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). This region functions as a pacemaker for your brain and body, using light cues to set daily rhythms.

Getting bright morning light into your eyes soon after waking entrains the SCN, which shifts hormone rhythms and promotes daytime alertness.

Insufficient morning light can shift or delay your circadian phase, causing misalignment with social schedules and reduced morning alertness. It’s a state similar to mild, chronic jet lag.

What are the effects of morning sunlight exposure?

Thanks to the signals from your SCN, once it’s stimulated by sunlight in the morning, many things happen.

Melatonin suppression

Melatonin is often called “the sleep hormone”. Your brain starts releasing it in the evening (although blue light from screens disrupts this process!) to make you sleepy. It remains active overnight to make sure you can sleep.

As soon as sunlight hits your eyes, your SCN generates a signal to stop melatonin production so you can wake up and be alert.

Cortisol release

Cortisol is a stress hormone and has gained a negative reputation recently, especially on social media. And yes, chronically elevated cortisol levels from excess stress pose a serious health risk. But cortisol per se isn’t bad.

It activates your brain and body in the morning, getting you into the state of activation you need for the day. It follows a ‘cortisol awakening response’, peaking ~30–60 minutes after waking, and early sunlight exposure can enhance this response.

Serotonin release

Serotonin has many functions, but one of them is mood regulation. Many antidepressants target serotonin metabolism.

Daylight exposure is associated with increased serotonin turnover in the brain and improved mood. Morning light (or bright daylight exposure) is therefore one factor that can support mood regulation, making you feel happier and calmer.

Ever heard of seasonal affective disorder? Some people develop depressive symptoms in winter, especially in regions where winter days are short. This disorder has a direct link with insufficient light exposure, and bright-light therapy is one of the main therapeutic approaches for it.

Some practical tips

Unfortunately, measures like having to switch our clocks twice a year are outside of our control. Scientists have been complaining about it for years, but policymakers have other priorities, even though abolishing clock changes and establishing a stable and adequate time zone would benefit the population in countless ways.

Still, there are things you can do to optimize early morning light exposure:

1. If possible, go outside within the first hour after waking for at least 10 minutes. On cloudy days, it's best to spend at least 15-20 minutes outside. Avoid sunglasses or looking directly at the sun.

2. If you can’t get outside early or sunrise is late at your place, turn on all your indoor lights in the morning and try spending time outside before noon.

3. Consider getting a daylight lamp*. Conventional indoor lights aren’t as bright as natural light, whereas daylight lamps mimic natural sunlight. I use one in the morning hours, and it really makes a difference.

Michael Breus, PhD, a.k.a. The Sleep Doctor, who works with athletes and celebrities in his LA-based practice, and co-author of the book “Energize!: Go from Dragging Ass to Kicking It in 30 Days”* says:

Ripple effects of early morning sunlight exposure

As a neuroscientist, I’m not only fascinated by the direct effects of early morning sunlight we just discussed, but also by its ripple effects.

It improves your sleep because the melatonin suppression signal in the morning also tells your SCN that about 14 hours later, it will be time to release melatonin again. Good sleep doesn’t begin with your bedtime routine; it starts in the morning.

Getting your internal clock as aligned as possible with your schedule helps you sleep better, improve your concentration, regulate your emotions more effectively, and enhance your metabolic health, among other benefits. It may even enhance neuroplasticity, the ability of your brain to reorganize itself.

Wrapping up

Early morning sunlight exposure is something that you shouldn’t miss. It’s free, only takes a few minutes, and has tremendous benefits for your health. If you can fit it into your routine, you should.

I’m already looking forward to more natural sunlight in the morning a few weeks from now, as sunrise is slowly shifting to a few minutes earlier every day.

That’s it for today!

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Until next time!

Best wishes,

Patricia (Dr. Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com.

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