Unlock the Morning Magic: How LIGHT Can Supercharge Your Meditation Routine
…on both waking up and quality sleep
Morning Light
The most powerful natural wake-up tool for us in the morning is getting into bright (white) light. If you get your brightest lights on as soon as you are awake it will trigger the optic nerves in the backs of your eyes to send the brain the message: it’s daytime, the sun is up, wake up!
Getting outside as soon as you wake up (if the sun is up) is usually far more effective to help you feel awake and alert than the lights in your home as the intensity of the light stimulating your optic nerve would usually be greater outside (see below).
If you’re feeling nerdy…
intensity of light (over a given area) is measured in lux
1 lux is the light of 1 lumen (1 candle) spread over an area of 1 metre squared
bright, direct sunlight can be 30 to 100,000 lux
an overcast day can be 1000 lux
sunset and sunrise can be around 400 lux
an office space might be 500 lux
a family home or theatre around 150 lux
lighting in a family living room might be 50 lux
Try It Out
If you feel tired on waking and then are struggling to wake up, you could try 7 days of getting your brightest lights on as soon as you wake, or getting outside into the sunlight. Then review any changes you have experienced.
Evening Light
Similarly, the white light from our screens tells the brain it’s daylight.
If you are using screens in the evening, the white light traveling to your optic nerve continues to tell the brain its daytime and to be awake. This is one of the reasons that being on screens in the hours before sleeping makes it harder to go to sleep.
Is There a Solution?
Either avoid screens for at least two hours before going to sleep or (and maybe the easier option) use screen-dimmer apps on all screens to reduce the amount of blue light emitted and getting into your eyes. These apps will make your screens appear a pinker hue, towards the red end of the light spectrum which is the opposite end to stimulatory blue. The reduced stimulation from screen light helps to reduce the negative impact on sleep quality. You can download free apps (I use f.lux for phone and laptop) which sync with the sunrise and sunset at your location.