Light as a Key Nutrient

Using light as a way to optimize my health has been a game-changer for me so I’m excited to share with you guys!  

First let’s breakdown what light provides for our body:

DID YOU KNOW?

Ideally only ⅓ of our energy should come from food.

The other ⅔ should come from:

- natural light 

- grounding (direct contact with the earth or natural bodies of water)

- movement

- water

I love breaking it down like this so you can see light is a key nutrient.  The light your body is exposed to is just as important as the food you eat (if not more important)!  

Light provides us with energy by entering our eyes and absorbing into our skin.  The timing and type of light we receive sends messages to our brain to orient our bodies to time of day, season, geographical location, etc.  The brain uses this information to manage hormones, sleep, metabolism, mood, and reproductive functions.  

The specific hormones that are most impacted by light are: 

Cortisol (stress and energy)

Insulin (blood sugar regulation)

Oxytocin, Estrogen, and Progesterone (mood and menstrual cycle)

Leptin (appetite and satiety)

Melatonin (sleep and energy)

These hormones use data from light to calculate major functions of the body.  When light is mistimed or unbalanced this sends confusing signals to the brain that cause dysregulation in the body.  

Natural vs Artificial Light

The body was designed to absorb light from natural sources like the sun, moon, stars, and fire.  Any light source that is not from a natural source is “artificial light.”  Since we live in a modern world full of screens, devices, overhead lighting, and lightbulbs that emit many colors of light not found in nature our bodies are exposed to artificial light in so many different ways throughout the day and night.  The body detects these artificial light signals as foreign.  When our body tries to sync to these artificial light sources it was not designed to absorb, it can cause some chaos for our biology!

Guess what time of year we get the most artificial light?

Right now… Winter time! When daylight hours are shorter, we get more exposure to artificial light over longer periods of time.  So now more than ever is the time to become more intentional with light.    

Once I started becoming more aware of artificial light and felt the effects it’s one of those things I can’t unsee now…  I can feel the impact when I am in places with fluorescent or LED lights.  Think of grocery stores, gyms, hospitals, offices, classrooms, restaurants, shops, stadiums, etc. I share this not to overwhelm you or scare you from stepping into artificially lit places, but so you know it’s normal for your body to feel sensitive to something it was not biologically built for versus feeling like there’s something wrong with you! 

Also, as women our bodies are highly responsive to environmental cues so our bodies are especially sensitive to natural and artificial light.  Yes, this means artificial light can do more harm to our hormones, but it also means we can use our sensitivity to light as a superpower!  We can work with natural light sources to actually hack our way into hormonal harmony! I’ve found this to be so empowering and hope you do too!

Here’s the hack:

Increase exposure to natural light and because it can be unrealistic for many of us to avoid all artificial light we can promote more blue light during the day and red-toned light in the evening.  This is supportive because blue light wavelengths mimic daytime sunlight and red-tones mimic sunset and firelight.  The overall goal is to restore the natural chronological order of light and mindfully mitigate foreign light exposure.  

Here are my best tips:

Morning (Sunrise & UVA)

• Get outside within 30–60 minutes of waking - Bonus if you get the first light of the day at sunrise. Even if it’s through a window it’s still beneficial.

• Aim for 5–20 minutes of natural sunlight 

• Even cloudy light counts

• No sunglasses - Eyes are the primary light receptor so we don’t want to block their access to light. On a personal note: I love wearing sunglasses (my fav accessory) so I just make sure to take them off enough through the day that I’m getting plenty of light in my eyeballs. I avoid sunglasses in the morning and the evening. 

• Expose your skin to sunlight - I always prioritize a few minutes on my neck and abdomen

Daytime (UVB)

• Open windows when possible - Glass blocks UVB so open the windows and let that light filter into your home 

• Prioritize outdoor breaks to reinforce circadian cues

• Eat meals outdoors when possible - I love eating lunch and dinner outside with my family when the weather permits 

• Consider blue light blocking lenses and software if you are working with a screen often

Evening (UVA Set & Sunset)

• Dim overhead lights in your home after sunset

• Use warm or red-toned lighting at night - incandescent bulbs, salt lamps, red light

• Reduce screen use 1–2 hours before bed (this is the ideal but if not) ⬇️

• Blue light blocking lenses for any artificial light exposure after sundown

Night (After Sunset) 

• Keep bedrooms dark and cool

• Remove any screens or devices from the sleep space

• Avoid bright bathroom lights if waking during the night

• Use a red light night light if one is needed

My favorites:

• Ra Optics Lenses (use code ERIN for 10%) - Blue light blocking glasses when using screens and after sunset - these make such a big difference for me. I put them on once the sun goes down. I notice a big difference when I use them for my children as well. 

• Kids glasses options

• Contacts that let UV light in (thinner options)

• Incandescent light bulbs

• Himalayan salt lamps and light bulbs

• Circadian lightbulbs and nightlights

• Red light reading lamps

• Software for laptop and phones 

Leaning into light as a health support feels so natural and cozy like honoring God’s design in your every day rhythm. Learning about light and our biology certainly helped me to be more conscious about light utilization and how it impacts me throughout the day. It’s a fun one to hack as well because the difference is easy to notice. 

I hope this serves as a launching point to utilizing light to improve your health - even if it just means getting a little more restful sleep at night, which if you’re anything like me you could definitely use. 

With love, Erin