1. Get Sunlight in the Morning, and Limit Light at Night
There are a number of sleep hygiene strategies that are useful, such as waking and going to sleep at the same time each day and avoiding caffeine in the evening. Another that may be especially helpful is to focus on light exposure that will support good sleep, by getting some sunlight in the morning and avoiding too much blue light (from smartphones, TVs, and other electronics) at night, says KyoungBin Im, MD, the medical director of sleep medicine at the University of California Irvine Health in Orange.
That’s because light is the primary influence on your circadian rhythm, a daily cycle that lets your body know when to get drowsy and when to wake up.
“Light exposure in the morning advances the circadian rhythm, while light exposure in the evening delays it,” he says. “Sunlight provides the strongest signal and helps stabilize the rhythm, whereas indoor lighting is usually a weaker factor but can still affect timing, especially at night. Screens with bright light can suppress melatonin and delay sleep when used at night.”
Read the full article here
