What is the impact of early sunlight on sleep and being awake?

Question

Can someone tell me the relation of basking in the morning sun and its possible impact on my alertness during the day and my sleep during night?

Answer 1

Super-awesome idea to have this separate channel. Thank you so much for all the value you add to our lives Dr. Huberman.

Answer 2

This is sungazing. It’s great it has great benefits physically and It opens your third eye too. Our ancestors did this.

Answer 3

I've been waking up at 3 AM for the past four years, and I've reached a point where I don't need to set an alarm. I remember that at the beginning of this routine, it was really hard for me to get up, but as time passed and I stayed consistent, it just felt normal. I go to bed at 8 PM and wake up at 3 AM.
When the clock hits 6 PM, I stop using my phone, laptop, or computer. I also stop eating and drinking. Sometimes, when I'm thirsty, I just have a little bit of water, about 200 ml, and that’s usually enough for me.
When I get up, I don't touch my phone or even look at the clock. I bought a wall clock with glowing numbers so I can see the time in the dark. After that, I brush my teeth and wash my face with cold water. Then, I walk around for about 7 minutes while preparing my coffee.
Next, I take a cold shower for 3 to 5 minutes, forcing myself to stay in until I've completed at least 3 minutes. After my shower, I grab my coffee and start working for no less than three hours on the tasks I wrote down the night before. I write down the things I need to do before sleeping and then sign the paper. It might sound ridiculous, but it works! It’s like I’m telling my mind, “We’re done for the day.” This helps me relax and prevents me from worrying about what I need to do tomorrow. Also, working as soon as I wake up helps me stay productive throughout the day, no matter how hard the tasks are.
I started learning English four years ago, and I've been doing great. When I felt I was getting good at it, I moved on to other things like learning Java and Python. Now, I'm improving my math skills, and I have plans to start learning Japanese or Chinese once I feel comfortable with these subjects.
Here's a fun fact: you’re not lazy or anything; you just give your time to the wrong things or hang out with people who waste your time. Once you adapt to this routine, you’ll find yourself addicted to it because you’ll accomplish a lot of the things on your mind.

This routine really works, whether you're studying, working, or doing anything else.

and for you Huberman i love you so much have learned a lot from you

Answer 4

T Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

00:32 ☀️ To feel more energized and improve sleep, expose yourself to morning sunlight, especially when the sun is low in the sky or on cloudy days.
01:32  You don't need to stare directly at the sun, but rather look toward it (without sunglasses) to benefit from the morning sunlight.
02:30  Morning sunlight exposure is grounded in physiology and significantly impacts wakefulness during the day and the quality of your sleep at night.
03:57  If you wake up before sunrise, artificial lights in your home won't provide the necessary morning stimulation; sunlight is essential.
04:54 ⏰ The duration of morning sunlight exposure needed varies, but on clear days, aim for about 5 minutes, 10 minutes on partly cloudy days, and up to 30 minutes on very overcast or rainy days.
05:52  Sunlight exposure through a car windshield, tinted windows, or sunglasses won't be effective; it's crucial to be outside to receive the benefits.

Made with HARPA AIÜRL

Answer 5

I'm a person with a bit of a biology background, which includes a pre-medical undergraduate degree, some time in hospital as a research assistant on various RCTs, and a lengthy amount of time in hospital as an in-patient; I had a very severe brain injury in 2018. I find this very interesting and I agree with what you're talking about,  as I experience it myself and am able to take the time to notice how light affects me since my brain injury. I've noticed that I'm actually more sensitive to artificial light than people who haven't had a brain injury, so I wear tinted lenses over my contact lenses, and my prescription glasses are also tinted. My sensitivity to artificial light was especially obvious to me when I was back in school last Fall, where there's artificial light essentially everywhere; that's when the tinted lenses because a must. I completely agree that natural light has many benefits, and artificial light can actually be detrimental, unfortunately, especially to one's circadian rhythm.

Answer 6

The way Hidden Time Wealth dives into the concept of productivity is mind-blowing. Hidden Time Wealth tips are pure gold, and I wish more people knew about them.

Answer 7

Great information! I usually wake up before the sun is up, so it's good to know that I can use the lights in my home to wake myself up a little bit until the sun comes up.

Answer 8

This man has taught me so much. I really appreciate Andrew teaching us all for free.

Answer 9

People who pray fajr

Comments

Thank you❤

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Alxamdullilah❤

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الحمد لله على نعمة الاسلام

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​@@danielgoncalves6386Fajr is a name of morning prayer in Islam religion

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Yes islam is the greatest. ☝

Answer 10

I have horses so my alarm goes off at 5am every day and I go muck them out, feed them, and walk my dog. Even in the middle of winter when the weather is terrible and it’s pitch dark for months, the sun rises while I’m outside and it’s so lovely some days when the sky is clear. This does so much good for my mental health. I moved house recently and trialled doing all this in the afternoon after work instead of first thing in the morning and I noticed a clear drop in my mood. So I’m back to 5am starts and it’s honestly better. ️  ️

Answer 11

Thank you for sharing your work! My nervous system has been totally out of whack for a couple years now... I've made huge improvement by changing some habits and my lifestyle. I now like to wake up early enough to enjoy the last moments of the night and take a look at the stars right before the sun rises. And then enjoy the morning sun. Simply beautiful. Good to know that time enjoying the sun light is also beneficial for my body.
Much love!

Comments

Really like this idea!  Thanks for sharing

Answer 12

You're truly improving lives. Thank you!

Answer 13

Cool thing about this is that the ancients knew about this for 1,000s of years ago, it's so cool how our forebears knowledge, spiritual practices and wisdom is being properly detailed and explained by modern science! Cause I did this as a teenager everyday I could.

Answer 14

Can you please apply this information to people who live in areas where the sunrise differs from 8:00 am in the winter to 5:00 am in the summer? It is incredibly difficult to establish sunrise habits with such a variable time for that event. Second question, if you are surrounded by evergreen trees that are hundreds of feet tall, the sun doesn’t reach you until after the initial, optimal, sun angle. How do you get that important morning hour sun given these two variables? Is moving to a lower latitude the only option?

Comments

He talks about artificial light. You can find the whole video on his youtube page.

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I also believe low solar angle refers to the wavelength of the photons coming out. You don't have to physically see the sun through your evergreen trees.

Consistent habits may be hard to form for variable sunrise times but 5-10 minutes is still a great baseline.

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Try looking into light therapy lamps or light therapy glasses like Luninette if you're struggling to get a good amount of sunlight in the morning, where I live the sun doesn't come up until 8-9 am in the winter and I'm using a light therapy lamp every day at 6 am to keep a good schedule. Make sure it's 10000 lux!

Answer 15

Rising early in the day, grtting exposure if sunlight, and light exercise are good things for the health and overall wellbeing... consistency is the key.Plans only work when are done daily.

Answer 16

I am starting from today!! I woke up at 5 and started running in park and started running in park. I am watching this video to make my washroom time productive

Answer 17

I have been practicing the morning sunlight viewing for a month now because of podcasts you have been apart of. Did not know the cloudy skies news and rainy days. This Texan is getting ready for her 3rd winter in Michigan, it is approaching fast. I will have a new routine in the winter mornings and I'm really excited.

Comments

Me too

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Did you feel any improvement in your daily life  because of the morning sunlight?

Answer 18

I think that are a lot of people who know this information but the most difficult part is to do it . It is a necessity to emphasize those informations once in a while because we only need to do basic things to live a better life. What I do for a long time is drinking a glass of water first thing after waking up. I swear you will feel that after some time!
Peace to you all

Answer 19

Thank you! That was amazing! I had a stiff breath from one person being angry at me, I was feeling guilty, and this breath work helped to release and breathe more freely ❤

Answer 20

I love how Andrew says things, Andrew says thing twice if needed twice if needed.   Three times sometimes.   We'll come back to it, many time, maybe it's a learning pattern to help learning.  Come back to it, say it twice, three times, learning pattern.  I love how Andrew says thing, many times, two times, threes times.