Rise and Shine

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?  If you’re like most people in today’s age, it’s likely reaching for that delicious cup of coffee or different caffeinated beverage.  I absolutely love coffee.  I worked as a Starbucks Barista for over 5 years so believe me when I say that coffee is a very important part of my morning routine.  But I try not to rely on coffee too much, always looking for new or different ways to feel alert without stimulants. Recently I learned about another way to get that morning boost without the jitters of caffeine.

The answer is natural light. More specifically, sunlight.  

Getting sunlight immediately upon waking has profound effects on our body. When we wake up, light comes into the eyes and an electrical signal is sent to what's called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, a sort of internal clock or timer.  This timer responds best to the specific quality and quantity of light from the sun when it’s still lower in the sky. Artificial light may seem bright but it’s not actually ideal for stimulating our eyes in this way.    

The goal is to get sunlight in your eyes as close to waking as possible.  This doesn't mean that you have to get up and see the sunrise, just whenever you wake up.  Ideally you are physically going outside to get this light, as the light shining through our window isn’t going to be as effective.  Even on a cloudy day there is still significantly more natural light outside, you just might find that you need to spend a little more time to get the same effect.  

Aim for 2-10 minutes of sunlight as close to waking as possible.        

Getting this natural light early in the day has a very positive effect on our body and well being. This light regulates the release of cortisol and epinephrine at the appropriate time. This release is very important as it starts the increasing feeling of wakefulness for the day. It also regulates the production of serotonin which is the precursor for melatonin, a hormone that makes us sleepy and helps us to fall asleep.  So not only does sunlight first thing in the morning help us feel more awake and set the tone for the day, it helps us to feel more sleepy at bedtime and therefore sleep better.  I think we can all agree that we feel much better after a good night’s sleep.          

Did I mention that I love coffee?  Coffee is one of the most popular and widely consumed beverages in the world. Coffee drinkers rave about the energizing feeling it gives them thanks to the drug caffeine. Caffeine doesn’t actually give you energy however. Instead it blocks adenosine, the hormone that makes us feel sleepy.  Throughout the day adenosine starts to build up so that we are ready to go to sleep by nighttime.  It may seem obvious but the longer you’ve been awake, the more tired you will become due to increased levels of adenosine.

Caffeine acts as an adenosine antagonist (making something ineffective).  It binds to the adenosine receptor which in turn blocks the feeling of sleepiness. Once the caffeine wears off, the adenosine can once again bind to the receptor and can actually cause even more sleepiness.  This is why sometimes you feel a “crash” later in the day after consuming caffeine.  Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others.  I know that some people say that they can drink a cup of coffee and go right to sleep but I would be curious how that might affect the quality of their sleep.  Even decaffeinated coffee or tea usually has a very small amount of caffeine in it.  I personally try to limit my caffeine consumption to before noon as I find that it can disrupt my ability to fall asleep if consumed too late in the day.

Sleep is essential to life but that sleepy feeling can make the day drag and make it harder to get stuff done. So maybe try stepping outside tomorrow morning and see how you feel after getting that eyeful of sunlight first thing.

This blog post was inspired by a podcast I’ve been listening to called the Huberman Lab.  Andrew Huberman is a professor of Neuroscience at Stanford University.  This podcast is separate from his work at the university but part of his goal to bring zero cost information about science and science related tools to the general public.  So far I've been listening to episodes 1-4 which focus on the topic of sleep.  Episode 1 is more of an introduction and helps to set the stage for the other episodes but by no means do you need to listen to them in order. The podcast is available on his website, spotify, apple podcasts, youtube.

I would highly recommend listening to episode 2 as it covers the topic of light and wakefulness in much greater detail

Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When Awake | Episode 2

For the past week I’ve been getting up and going for a walk outside for about 10 minutes.  Now  I live in an apartment on the fourth (top) floor so finding the motivation to go outside first thing wasn’t easy.  It was definitely a challenge at first but everyday it gets easier.  I definitely notice that I have much more energy throughout the day.  I have less trouble getting to sleep at night and I’ve even started naturally waking up before my alarm goes off.  I firmly believe that it’s important to do what’s best for you and your body. I’m not advocating that you start waking up at the crack of dawn.  Try getting sunlight within the first hour of waking for a few days and see for yourself.  The results might surprise you.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.  It means a lot to me.  If you would like to hear more from me then I encourage you to subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on social media. 

I look forward to seeing you in the studio and online!

Sincerely,

Adam