Round full moon with outlines of trees in the foreground

“The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.”

— E. Joseph Cossman

Let’s face it - a ton of us take sleep aids. Melatonin, prescription drugs for sleep, herbal remedies, and magnesium powder to help us drift off into that peaceful rest we crave so much. We know that we are deeply tired and that we want any solution that works.

Another way to look at our sleep situation is to be curious about the root causes of our lack of deep, restorative sleep. Humans are diurnal animals which means that our bodies are designed to be active, eat, and socialize while it is light out. When the sun goes down, we are designed to fast and sleep. As Casey Means states in her book, Good Energy, “We’ve only had artificial light for about 0.04 percent of human history.”

We can acknowledge the powerful positive changes artificial light has brought us for necessary uses while still being present to the fact that it IS harming our health at night, in our homes, when it would be ideal for us to be experiencing deep rest. Lacking deep rest is a completely new issue that has arisen in the last 120 years. This is not normal and it is deleterious to our functioning.

“Light at night is so strongly detrimental to our health that it is now considered an “enviromental endocrine disruptor”, meaning that it can directly alter hormone signaling, just as a medication or toxin could do.”

— Casey Means, MD

Exposure to light in the evening is related to multiple health issues, such as; a 51% increase in type 2 diabetes in elderly subjects, increased insulin resistance, increased glucose resistance, excessive body mass, and severely reduced sleep quality. We all want to remain healthy and have our body’s metabolic systems in good working order so that we can enjoy all that life has to offer us. Artificial light and bad sleep are standing in the way of those things.

Changing habits around using artificial lights is a bold choice that might be extremely difficult, considering how prevalent the use of it is in our society.

“Some people spend their entire lives waiting for the time to be right to make an improvement.”

— James Clear

What are some simple starting solutions to make this change?

Recognize that many of the factors that lead to poor sleep are just habits waiting to be broken. It may be uncomfortable to make a change, but having a strategy and setting goals will take you a long way.

Go outside in the first hour of the day to receive light that signals your body to understand what time it is, and to regulate your hormones appropriately. This is one that is very easy to start with! Commit to doing this every single morning. Take a coffee, take a pet, or just bundle up and go towards the sun! Exposure through a glass window is not the same and won’t provide the signals your body needs.
A profound commitment to yourself and your loved ones to work towards better sleep. Sleep affects everything.
Blackout curtains for your bedroom. There are a range of eco-friendly options available to choose from.
Pick a cutoff time for eating and/or snacking at night. We generate demonstrably greater insulin and glucose levels when eating carbohydrates after 8:30pm. Erratic food patterns predispose us to metabolic dysfunction!
Red light bulbs or dimmers for rooms that you spend time in after sunset. This small but powerful change will help your brain and body to relax and remember your commitment to better quality sleep.
Spend as much time as possible outside in natural light. Any amount counts toward your total. It can be challenging to do, but all the time that we spend outside in our home (nature) boosts our health and wellbeing. If you can’t make it to greenery, you can still go outside and be exposed to natural light.