Establish and maintain a consistent daily routine for sleep, meal times, exercise, and light exposure. This regularity is crucial for overall well-being and allows your body to function optimally.
Make small, conscious changes to brighten your daytime light exposure and significantly darken your evenings and nighttimes. This practice supports your body’s natural 24-hour cycle of light and darkness, which is vital for health.
Seek bright natural light exposure in the morning, ideally between 8 AM and noon, for at least 20 minutes. This practice is powerful for setting your circadian rhythm, improving sleep quality, boosting alertness, and enhancing mood.
In the evenings, dim your screens and filter out blue light, and switch off overhead lights in favor of dimmer table lamps or candles. This reduces artificial light exposure, allowing your body to naturally prepare for sleep by secreting melatonin earlier.
Maintain consistent sleep and wake times between weekdays and weekends to prevent social jet lag. Differing sleep patterns can lead to negative health outcomes such as weight gain, impaired cognition, irritability, and increased illness.
Get outside for short periods during the day, incorporating light exercise like walking or cycling, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. This boosts alertness, strengthens circadian rhythms, and acts as a stress reducer.
Align your eating patterns with natural light cycles, aiming to eat after waking and stopping when it gets dark. Eating later in the evening can negatively impact your body’s internal clocks and contribute to weight gain.
Increase your natural light exposure during the day to help mitigate some of the negative effects of evening screen time. Bright daytime light can prevent your body clock from being delayed by artificial light at night.
Consider wearing minimalist shoes that are thin, wide, and flexible to improve foot function and musculoskeletal health. This can help with back, hip, and knee pain, as well as balance and stability.
While seeking sunlight for circadian rhythm synchronization, always be mindful of sun protection by using sunscreen and avoiding excessive exposure. Too much sun can increase your risk of skin cancer.
When flying East, advance your body clock by avoiding light during the night (according to your departure time zone) and seeking bright light from approximately 7 AM (departure time zone) onwards. Wear dark wraparound sunglasses during the flight and upon arrival until your body clock aligns with the new morning.
When flying West, delay your body clock by limiting light exposure in the morning (according to your departure time zone) and seeking bright light in the evening (departure time zone). This naturally aligns with daytime upon arrival in the new time zone.
Cultivate a positive mindset towards winter by reframing its challenges as opportunities for enjoyable activities. This cognitive behavioral approach can be as effective as light therapy for seasonal affective disorder.
For night shift workers, avoid eating and snacking overnight to mitigate negative health impacts. This practice helps reduce desynchrony in your body’s internal clocks, which is often caused by eating at the wrong biological time.
Replace white or blue nightlights with red-spectrum nightlights for children. Red light has less impact on circadian rhythms and may help children sleep longer and better.
Embrace outdoor activity in all seasons by dressing appropriately with layers and waterproof clothing. This mindset helps overcome the perception of ‘bad weather’ and encourages consistent outdoor exposure.
Engage in activities like wild swimming, potentially combined with sauna use, during winter months. This practice can provide an endorphin rush and help combat seasonal misery, drawing inspiration from Scandinavian cultures.
Incorporate regular exercise into your routine, as it has been shown to positively affect the timing of your body’s internal clocks. This contributes to overall health and well-being.