Improve Your Kids Energy AND Their Sleep with Morning Sun
Getting quality sleep is one of the absolute MOST important things you can do for your health for both kids and adults. Getting quality sleep at night starts with your morning routine. Get outside in the morning when the sun comes up and let the sunlight set your internal clock for the day. Consistency is king, make this a fun exercise for you and your kids. Last week my family was hanging out in the morning, and I was cooking breakfast. Out of the blue, my 5-year-old said: “I have to set my rhythm!” I had been in the cooking zone, so I forgot, and it was my son who reminded me and kept me accountable to one of my goals to get outside every morning for morning sunlight. It was a pretty cool feeling to see my son spearheading the morning sunlight. We got our winter gear on, ran around the sunny backyard for 10 minutes, then came back inside and continued making breakfast. The reason my 5-year-old son said he wanted to set his rhythm was because we talk about it often, he sees us do it ourselves, and he can tell that it is important. These kind of health tips are not just for adults, get the kids in your lives involved as well and grow together! Check out the benefits below.
Fastest Way to Fix Your Sleep: Say Good Morning to the Sun
Timing: 2-5 minutes or 30-60 minutes on a cloudy day
Level of Difficulty: Easy to do, just have to take the time to do it
Serving Size: 3 mornings in a row to start, then make it happen as much as you can
Spice Level: Mild and energizing like a protein filled breakfast
INGREDIENTS
Just you and that big bright star up in the sky called the sun
REASONING AND BENEFITS
One of the main reasons a lot of us struggle with sleep is because our internal clocks are confused and have no idea what time of day it actually is. Luckily, there is a very easy fix. Your body relies on light exposure to figure out what time of day it is, with sunlight being the most important. The issue here is that we are spending more and more time indoors, and we are exposing ourselves to brighter and brighter artificial lights later into the evening. If you struggle with sleep, the first thing you should try is this: get outside in the morning and get some sunlight in your eyes without sunglasses. This rising low angle sun is your best friend when it comes to sleep as it will wake up your body and set your clock. This will also trigger the shut down of your production of melatonin, and tell your body to be ready to release melatonin in 12-16 hours to get ready for sleep. Those are two essential and beneficial triggers that we receive from the sun. Doing this consistently for a minimum of only three days will help you reset your internal clock so your body will actually know when it is supposed to be gearing up for sleep. Let’s repeat that one more time, only three days of getting sunlight in your eyes when you wake up will help reset your internal clock to get better sleep at night. If you have trouble sleeping, don’t go to a pill or an expensive mattress, go hang out with your new best friend; that low angle sun.
INSTRUCTIONS
When you wake up, go outside and let sunlight enter your eyes (without sunglasses).
If you wake up before the sun, turn bright lights on when you wake up, and go hang with the sun when it comes up.
Do not look directly at the sun, this will hurt, anything that hurts your eyes when looking at it is no good, don’t do it.
This is done any time before 9 am, 10 am at the latest, after 10 am you will start losing the waking and melatonin sleep prep benefits. Any sunlight is great for you, but the window of benefit for your sleep will have passed.
If the sun is very bright, 2-5 minutes may be all that you need, if it is very cloudy, stay outside longer if possible for 30-60 mins.
If you are a shift worker, and this is not possible, please check out the recipe…
Viewing sunlight through a window is good, but it will not be enough to set your clock because windows block too much of those beneficial rays.
PRO TIP: If I don’t have time in the morning before I go to work, I will roll down my car window on my drive in, stick my head out the window like a dog, and soak in some rays.
*While you are getting your morning sun, do a little exercise to start the day even better. A walk, quick jog, some jumping jacks, skipping, or a body weight workout. Maximize the sleep benefit.
** If there is a day when you do not want to do a little movement with that morning sun, read a book or try a little meditation. Optimize your time, stack these positive behaviours in your life
*** If this is a habit you can incorporate into your daily life, or at least 80% of it, your sleep will greatly improve, and you will be well on your way to becoming a sleep master.
