Make a point to get dark exposure at night (absence of light), as this is important for mental health outcomes, even if daytime sunlight exposure is insufficient. This practice is especially beneficial for individuals with certain mental health issues.
Strive to view low solar angle sunlight early in the day and again later in the day, and get as much bright light from sunlight as safely possible throughout the day. If natural sunlight is not consistently available, consider investing in a high-quality sunrise/evening simulator.
On non-cloudy days, aim for at least 10 minutes of sunlight in your eyes in the early part of the day. This practice helps set your circadian clock and is correlated with elevated mood.
View low solar angle sunlight in the evening as often as possible to phase delay your circadian clock, which helps you stay up a little later and wake up a little later. This can also partially offset the negative effects of artificial light exposure at night.
In the evening, dim your lights and ideally use lights that are set lower in your environment, avoiding overhead lights. This helps minimize disruptive light exposure and supports your circadian rhythm.
Avoid wearing sunglasses in the early and later parts of the day, unless driving into the sun for safety reasons. This allows sufficient photons to reach your eyes, which is crucial for circadian rhythm regulation.
Do not wear blue blockers in the middle of the day, as this is considered detrimental. Necessary daytime light signaling is interfered with by blocking blue light during these hours.
For individuals with bipolar disorder, ensure eight hours of darkness every night. This is considered a crucial treatment, as nighttime light exposure significantly exacerbates bipolar symptoms, independent of daytime light.
Be mindful of the content you consume on screens at night, as the emotional or mental stimulation from stressful content can be more disruptive to sleep and well-being than the light itself. Prioritize relaxing content if using screens before bed.
If you wake up in the middle of the night, avoid looking at what time it is. This can be very disruptive to your ability to fall back asleep and negatively impact your perceived energy levels the next day.
View bright sunlight in the morning to increase the amplitude of your morning cortisol spike, which is beneficial. A higher morning spike is inversely related to evening cortisol, reducing middle-of-the-night waking.
Do not rely on light coming through standard windows for circadian rhythm regulation, as most relevant wavelengths are filtered out unless the sun is directly visible. Skylights are an exception as they allow more effective light exposure from above.
If you have to choose between viewing low solar angle light early or later in the day, prioritize the morning light. If you miss a day, aim to get twice as much light the next morning, as it’s a slow, integrative mechanism.
Viewing afternoon and evening sunlight can partially offset the negative effects of artificial light exposure at night, halving melatonin suppression. Consider this a ‘Netflix inoculation’ to mitigate harm from evening screen time.
Replace evening light bulbs with red light bulbs or use red party lights to minimize disruptive light exposure at night. This can help maintain a natural circadian rhythm without needing expensive red light units.
While bright midday sun is great for increasing mood and feelings of well-being, it will not help anchor your sleep-wake cycle. Focus on early morning and late evening low solar angle sunlight for circadian rhythm regulation.
For Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), use a SAD lamp providing more than 10,000 lux of bright light, especially in the morning. This treatment has proven fairly effective in alleviating SAD symptoms.
To prevent melanoma, focus on avoiding sunburn, especially repeated sunburns early in life, rather than merely limiting all sun exposure. Differentiate between healthy sun exposure for vitamin D and damaging UV exposure that causes scorching.
Use traditional mineral sunscreens for sun protection, as they are considered perfectly safe. These types of sunscreens are not associated with endocrine disruption, unlike some other formulations.
Exercise caution and use artificial sweeteners in limited amounts only, as they can potentially disrupt brain chemistry, gut chemistry, and metabolism. While not linked to cancer, their long-term metabolic effects warrant prudence.
If consuming sweeteners, consider xylitol (for chewing gum) and allulose (as an additive) as potentially safer alternatives. These are the only two the speaker will consume due to their perceived safety profile.
Utilize calorie tracking apps (like Carbon) to gain awareness of your caloric intake and consumption patterns. The act of tracking can help manage intake and gamify healthy eating behaviors.
Use sleep trackers as a tool for insight and behavioral change, but be mindful of their psychological impact. A poor sleep score should be an indication to adjust habits, not a reason to decide you’ll have a terrible day, and focus on averages rather than daily fluctuations.
Download and use a free ‘Light Meter’ app to measure lux levels in your environment. This helps you understand the actual brightness of light sources, including natural and artificial ones.
To avoid misrepresentation by news media, learn to read scientific papers yourself by practicing. Review papers before listening to discussions to identify key points and questions, which helps in understanding research and what is truly reported.
Consider strategies to modulate immunity as you age, such as potentially using rapamycin (if taken correctly), which has shown to enhance cellular immunity and vaccine response in short-term human experiments. This could be a significant factor in cancer prevention, though more research is needed.
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When using phones or tablets at night, minimize screen brightness and consider using built-in features to eliminate blue light. The amount of direct light exposure you get at night, and its duration, significantly impacts your circadian rhythm.