Key Takeaways…

• Only UVA from morning sunlight sets your circadian rhythm via the suprachiasmatic nucleus
• Exposure to UVA & IR AM light creates melatonin for the day
• The SCN is the master clock in the body and controls your daily rhythms 
• Exposure to morning sunlight creates melanin in your body
• Watching the sunrise is THE most important thing you can do to get better sleep

If there’s one piece of health advice I could impart to you, it’s watching the sunrise every single morning. I cannot stress enough just how important this one health practice is.

If you have insomnia, the MAIN reason you have sleep issues is you have a broken circadian rhythm.

What is the #1 way to repair your mitochondria and reset your daily circadian rhythm?

You guessed it…

Watching the sunrise, every morning.

I’m constantly talking about how important this one practice is not just for your hormones, health and energy levels but also to help you improve your sleep.

If there’s one practice I want you to do for the rest of your life, it’s watching the sunrise every single morning.

Synchronizing Circadian Rhythms

If your circadian rhythm is broken, you’re going to have sleep problems. It’s that simple. I would venture to say that 99% of adults in the world today have to one degree or another, a broken circadian rhythm. There could be other factors that cause poor sleep like insulin resistance, prescription drugs, pain, room temperature, or other issues as well.

I ALWAYS recommend fixing your circadian rhythms first before anything else. This is the foundation of how  you sleep each night. This is the easiest to fix and you can also work on secondary causes of insomnia during or after you’ve fixed your circadian rhythm.

First let’s define what a circadian rhythm actually is.  According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences…

“Circadian rhythms are the physical, mental, and behavioral changes an organism experiences over a 24-hour cycle. Light and dark have the biggest influence on circadian rhythms, but food intake, stress, physical activity, social environment, and temperature also affect them. Most living things have circadian rhythms, including animals, plants, and microorganisms. In humans, nearly every tissue and organ has its own circadian rhythm, and collectively they are tuned to the daily cycle of day and night.”

So let’s explore what happens when light from the morning sun enters into your naked eye (not contacts, no glasses or no sunglasses).

In the retina of your eye you have photoreceptive cells called melanopsin. These photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) detect light. Specifically they detect around 480 nm wavelength of light. The rods and cones in your eye detect to some degree color and brightness of light.

As you can see we’ve just started and there’s a lot going on when sun hits the human eye.

Now when 480 nm wavelength of light hits your retina and melanopsin it then travels through the optic nerve pathway (I know geeky right?) to the brain’s master clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus.

All this is happening without you even really feeling it or knowing that it’s happening.  Pretty cool right?

So now the light signals have traveled to the master internal clock the suprachiasmatic nucleus which interprets the exact hormones to secrete (one of which is cortisol made in your adrenal glands) in order to wake you up and give you energy.

Other hormones are also secreted at the exact time based on the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

Now I want you to think of the suprachiasmatic nucleus as one of those old grandfather clocks. Imagine setting an old clock like that and then coming back after 10 years to check to see if it’s still right on time.

Chances are it’s going to be way off. In fact you have to reset that clock quite often to make sure it’s up to date.

The same is true with humans.

How do we “break” our internal clock?

By looking at the wrong kind of light, at the wrong time of day. Light is the #1 signal that alters mitochondrial ATP production but also the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

Now it’s important to note that every cell in your body runs off timing and they each have their own clock. They routinely send signals to the suprachiasmatic nucleus to know what cellular processes to run (like open cellular “doors” like ferroportin so that the reticuloendothelial system can transport iron out of the cells back to the bone marrow).

Every cellular function requires specific time signatures in order to work properly. If the suprachiasmatic nucleus isn’t tuned into our natural environment (and time) it’s going to send the wrong signals to every cell in the body, which will then carry out their cellular functions at the wrong time.

A good example of this is living the standard American lifestyle and not being tired when you fall asleep. The reason is even 15 seconds of blue light exposure can suppress melatonin in the body. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant but also a tight regulator of your circadian rhythm.

When morning sun hits your naked eye, all of these timing signatures are being “stamped” into your body.

Hormonal Balance

Watching the sunrise also helps with your hormonal balance. Sounds crazy right?

If you’re an older guy and want to maintain good testosterone levels, you need to watch the sunrise every. single. morning. If you’re a woman going through menopause of perimenopause regulating the balance between key hormones like estrogen, progesterone and testosterone happens by the frequencies of light we’re exposed to.

Getting morning sun on your naked eyes triggers an increase in cortisol levels through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Cortisol is a very important hormone produced by your adrenal glands.

Morning light (specifically UVA and Infrared) also stimulates the production of serotonin which is a really powerful neurotransmitter that influences mood, appetite, and sleep. If you’re in a bad mood or have food cravings did you ever think it could be because you’re not getting enough UVA light from watching the sunrise every morning?

Most people have no idea about how these connections work.

UVA and Infrared light emitted during the sun at sunrise also signals the pineal gland to stop the production of melatonin. This also happens at the same time cortisol rises and they each help you to wake and feel more energy.

All of this happens when watching the sunrise every morning. What I’ve found odd is that when I watch the sunrise, I don’t feel anything. I don’t notice anything. Nothing seems all that different. As long as I do all the right things during the day, I do feel extremely tired around 9pm each night.

This is a far cry from staying up until 3am unable to fall asleep every night.

Mental Health Benefits

Everybody knows that you feel better when you’re in the sun. I don’t even have to prove that to anybody. The sun just feels good. When UVA light from watching the sunrise enters your eye, serotonin levels are increased which are associated with different parts of your brain that regulate mood and cognition.

I find it so fascinating that we actually have to explain this stuff to people when you can just go outside and feel it for yourself. There’s something about being in nature, and being physically connected to the earth.

Infrared light and UVA light from watching the sunrise have been shown to lower SAD (seasonal affective disorder) in people.

I’ve found many people struggling with sleep issues like insomnia have Type A personality types and deal with anxiety and depression. If you have any one of these three mental disorders going on, are you watching the sunrise every single day?

Being in nature is therapy for not just your soul but also your mind.

I’ve been practicing watching the sunrise since 2012. I can’t believe it’s been 14 years and nothing has had a greater impact on my mood, my health and my sleep than getting UVA light from the sun each and every morning.

Improved Eye Health

Eye conditions are rising exponentially world wide. I’m seeing increases in macular degeneration, glaucoma, myopia, cataracts and more. One of the driving factors for this is exposure to blue light from cell phones, tablets and laptops. These are destroying our vision and yet nobody seems to notice.

How many kids do you see with reading glasses compared to 30 years ago?

The antidote to high frequency man made blue light from our tech devices is…..once again sunshine found in nature.

Shocking right?

When UVA, UVB and Infrared light enter your eye it produces the production of dopamine in your retina. Dopamine is the “feel good molecule”. Dopamine in the eye is what controls the elongation of the eyeball and its function. Dopamine helps to prevent the elongation of the eyeball leading to nearsightedness or myopia.

Sunlight specifically morning light frequencies help to attune overall visual acuity.

So if you want to improve your vision or prevent eye disorders, then taking out your contact lenses or taking off your glasses to get morning sun is the best way of doing that.

I have a feeling in 30 years half the population is going to be blind from overexposure to technology. Can you imagine a world where 50% of the population is blind?

We’re going there my friends.

Preparing the Skin for Optimal Sun Exposure

Are you somebody that regularly gets sunburn? This is because your skin hasn’t produced enough melanin from UVA exposure from watching the sunrise. The production of melanin in the skin happens when you’re exposed to UVA radiation from the sun, which only happens during sunrise.

Infrared light and UVA light prepare the skin for UVB exposure that happens (depending on your geolocation) a few hours after sunrise. That’s normally when UVB comes into our environment. This exposure to UVA wavelength also supports the body’s ability to make Vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D is a huge topic and worth many articles by itself.

There are dietary ways to get more melanin like chaga tea and getting enough copper into your diet but suffice it to say, if you want to avoid getting a nasty sunburn, get morning sun.

Practical Tips for Catching the Sunrise

Right now according to the WHO the average life expectancy is 72.6 years. During your lifetime you’ll have roughly 26,502.15 sunrises to have the opportunity of watching. I’m going to guess you’re 40 years old. That means you have roughly 11,907.15 sunrises left in your life.

Make it a habit to get up early, set the alarm if you have to and spend at least 5 minutes getting morning sunshine into your naked eye. Don’t look directly at the sun (sungazing) but I always look about 30 degrees to one side or the other of the sun for brief moments.

This might get a little esoteric but I feel it’s important to be barefoot on the earth (not concrete, or asphalt but grass or dirt) while watching the sunrise. The reason for this is that the human organism is both an anode and a cathode. We are biological conductors of electricity. This means humans are water based batteries.

When we stand on the earth we receive photonic energy from the frequencies of the sun. When we stand on the ground on the soil we complete that circuit by receiving free electrons from the surface of the earth.

Grounding allows us to “complete” that connection from the earth to the ether.

Common Questions

Does it work if I only have a few minutes?

Yes. If you only have 30 seconds it still works. This is because it only takes a nanosecond for your biology to determine your geolocation and time of day. Ask yourself, if I snapped my fingers and put you on the top of Mt. Everest, how long would it take you to feel the cold? Our mitochondria can sense our environment IMMEDITELY.

Does it work if I cannot ground?

Yes it still does. It’s more effective if you can ground but sometimes we don’t have that option. Just because you cannot ground on a particular day, don’t use that as an excuse from watching the sunrise.  You can still complete 50% of the connection.

What if it’s cloudy?

The clouds don’t diminish UVA sunlight. It feels better when there’s direct sun but through photon scattering with water crystals in the air, you’ll still get refracted sunlight through the clouds. I find myself watching the sunrise outside even if its raining. It’s that important to my health and my sleep.

What if I can’t go outside?

If you cannot go outside, I recommend opening your window and getting unfiltered sunshine on your face. If you’re in a high rise building it’s even more important to ground. The higher up you go from the surface of the earth, the more electrons you lose. If you live or work in a high rise building, you need to eat more antioxidants.

How long is too long?

There appears to be no upper limit to the time you can watch the sunrise. This is because you don’t get exposure to UVB wavelengths of sun until the later hours of the morning. The UVB frequencies are the ones that can burn your skin and also help produce 7 dehydrocholesterol that converts via magnesium to 1,25 active vitamin D. Since there’s no UVB at sunrise, I feel there is no upper limit.

What if I Wake Up After the Sunrise?

That’s okay. Remember the analogy of the clock. Your body still needs to set its circadian rhythm for the day so there will still be lots of benefit. The closer you can get to sunrise the better because there will be that perfect blend of visible light, infrared light and UVA light.

What if I have contacts on?

I recommend taking them off during this time. Contacts alter the frequency of light that hits your eyes. You definitely want to take them out if you can while you’re outside. Contact lenses also cause hypoxia to your retina because it prevents oxygen from coming into contact with eye tissues. Your eyes are the only organ that you can see from outside of the body and your eyes are an extension of your brain. Causing hypoxia to any part of your brain, is definitely not good.

Update: I found a company called MyAlcon that makes contact lenses that do not block UV light. 

Can I wear my glasses?

This is THE most important time of day when it comes to sleep and  your circadian rhythm. For this reason I recommend taking off your reading glasses, contact lenses or sunglasses. If there’s one time of day NOT to mess with, it’s the rising of the sun over the horizon. You want to make sure that photons of light are hitting your naked eye completely unfiltered for the best results.

Conclusion:

I’m calling on you right now to make watching the sunrise a practice for the next 30 days and watch what happens. Like me you’ll probably notice more energy, proper hormone levels, less anxiety, a stronger ability to let go of things that bother you, more drive, better sleep and better overall well being.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just do what you can, where you can, when you can.

My Questions For You

• How willing are you to try my 30 day sunrise challenge?
• Does it makes sense how it would affect sleep?
• Are there any obstacles that would hinder you from trying this?

Comment below!