Let there be light!
To set our daily rhythms for wake and sleep, we need to wake up to LIGHT. Sunrise is ideal, but if we can’t get that as soon as we wake up, the next best thing is bright indoor lighting. It may be appropriate for you to invest in a light box or “happy light” to use within a half hour of rising each day. Light bulbs that mimic daytime sunlight are great.
I find I’m personally very sensitive to light and it has been incredible helpful to download a lux meter on my phone. It’s a free app that uses your phones brightness sensor to judge how bright your environment is. What? Can’t I just use my own eyes? Well, yes and no. What gets measured, gets managed. A bright, sunny day can get up to almost 100 000 lux while your indoor lights may be under 100. Last winter we had a lot of grey days that only measured 200-300 lux. No wonder my energy was so low and I couldn’t sleep at night!
Often, the recommendation to get more light is to sit by a window. The lux at my window yesterday was less than 100. To get it up to 300 I put on overhead lighting and a desk lamp. So let’s keep that in perspective and be sure to measure or else we won’t know if what we are doing is actually having an impact!
Speaking of night, watching sunset can be incredibly helpful for sleep. And again, the next best thing is indoor light that mimics evening light and then dims to be more light firelight. Instead of overhead lights, use table lamps with warm toned light bulbs. You may benefit from investing in red light bulbs or floor lighting.
Have you ever thought about where the brightest lights in your home are? It may be coming from your bathroom mirror! The process of brushing your teeth before bed with the bright lights on may be one of the worst things you can do to mess up your sleep. Have you ever felt super sleepy, but then by the time you finish getting ready for bed in the bathroom you’re wide awake? Your bathroom lighting may be to blame.
I purchased a red light bulb and moved one of the lamps in my living room in to my bathroom. It’s kind of awkward in a small space but has DEFINITELY made a big difference to my ability to fall asleep at night.
ZenwithGwen 