Hi ,

How is your sleep?

This email is about a simple, often overlooked lever to improve your sleep: daylight exposure.

Why Daylight Matters

This morning, a friend who is trying to build a consistent morning exercise habit shared that when she sleeps well, she feels motivated to do higher-intensity workouts. I feel the same. We talked about step count, protein intake, late-night eating, and alcohol. Then we came to daylight exposure. She paused and said, “That is the one thing I do not get enough of.”

Morning light is the strongest signal for anchoring your circadian rhythm. Light entering the eyes sends a message to the brain’s master clock, which coordinates clocks in nearly every organ. This rhythm affects sleep timing, mood, metabolism, hormone secretion, and immune function.

Morning Light Isn’t Always Practical

You may have read that thirty minutes of morning light is ideal. Drink your coffee outside. Step onto your deck within an hour of waking. That may work beautifully in some climates. In Alberta’s cold, dark winter mornings, it is not so easy.

My friend realized that early morning light wasn’t practical. Her mornings are full of exercise, dog care, and preparing lunch. She found a solution: a short walk during her lunch break, but she needs to ensure the time is scheduled and protected in her calendar.

Experiment With What Works

Daylight exposure and step count overlap but are not identical. You can walk indoors and miss natural light. You can sit outdoors and stay sedentary. Ideally, combine both.

Try this self-experiment: notice whether you get daylight exposure, choose a realistic time to get it consistently for three days, and observe any changes in mood, energy, or sleep. In areas with very late winter sunrises, a medically approved light box may help.

It is important to rule out sleep disorders and chronic insomnia first.

Did you try anything last week? How did it go?

Best regards,

Shabnam

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Dr. Shabnam Das Kar, MD

Functional Medicine Doctor

Tiny Habits Coach

Email: [email protected]