Expose your eyes to as much outdoor light as possible for 15-60 minutes immediately upon waking, even on cloudy days, and without sunglasses, to set your circadian clock, prime your system, and improve mood. If waking before sunrise, use a bright artificial light source until the sun is out, then transition to outdoor sunlight.
Significantly dim all artificial lights in your home at night, aiming for the minimum comfortable level, and allow 10-15 minutes for your eyes to adapt to darkness. Avoid bright screens (phones, tablets) 1.5-2 hours before bed, or dim them to the lowest setting and view indirectly if necessary, as light at the wrong time can disrupt sleep and mood.
Seek abundant bright light exposure throughout the day, beyond just the morning, to satisfy a ’light hunger’ and directly enhance mood, learning, memory, and alertness, even if your circadian clock is already set.
Establish regular meal times that align with your active circadian phase and light exposure, as consistent feeding acts as a strong signal to entrain your body’s clock, regulate hunger, and support overall health. Restrict your eating window to the active phase of your circadian cycle, avoiding food intake during your body’s designated resting period.
Identify your optimal sleep-wake cycle and schedule exercise during your most alert period, as aligning physical activity with your natural rhythm can enhance performance and prevent sleep disruption from elevated body temperature or light exposure.
Adopt a holistic approach to health by considering the interplay of your circadian clock, homeostatic drives (e.g., sleep debt), and direct environmental inputs (e.g., light, stress) to optimize sleep, mood, and overall well-being.
To shift your circadian clock (e.g., for travel or new routines), view bright light in the early evening to delay your clock (e.g., traveling west), or view bright light after your body’s temperature nadir (low point, typically late night/early morning) to advance your clock (e.g., traveling east). When arriving in a new time zone, avoid bright light if it’s your body’s subjective night/early morning in the new location, as this could further delay your clock instead of advancing it.
Do not rely solely on conscious perception for light intensity; instead, conduct simple experiments by dimming lights and allowing 10-15 minutes for eye adaptation to discover the minimum comfortable light level you truly need at night.
Consider taking an all-in-one vitamin, mineral, and probiotic drink (like Athletic Greens) once or twice daily to cover basic nutritional needs, address deficiencies, and support microbiome health. Supplement with Vitamin D3 K2 as it’s essential for brain/body health, cardiovascular function, and calcium regulation, as many are deficient even with sun exposure.
Prioritize proper hydration and adequate electrolyte intake (sodium, magnesium, potassium) for optimal brain and body function, as even slight dehydration can diminish cognitive and physical performance. Drink an electrolyte mix (like Element) first thing in the morning and during physical exercise.
Incorporate 10-minute sessions of Yoga Nidra or Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) into your routine to significantly restore cognitive and physical energy, especially when full sleep is not possible.
Refrain from using blue-blocking glasses that distort the full light spectrum, as they may not effectively prevent circadian disruption if overall light intensity is high, and can negatively impact vision. Instead, adjust the spectrum of artificial lights to be warmer (less blue, more yellow) in the evening while maintaining a white appearance.
If you wake up in the middle of the night (e.g., for a bathroom break), avoid turning on bright lights or using screens to prevent sending an alerting signal to your brain, which could disrupt your ability to fall back asleep.
Do not worry excessively about occasional disruptions to your sleep-wake schedule (e.g., late nights); instead, prioritize quickly readjusting to your optimal light, eating, and exercise routine to prevent chronic misalignment.
Support efforts to abolish daylight saving time, as its abrupt shifts disrupt natural circadian rhythms, negatively impact health, and compound existing issues related to light exposure misalignment.