Watching a sunset helps you sleep better!?
Photo by Michael Niessl from Unsplash
Summer solstice always triggers a shifting of gears for me (this year, quite literally as I hop on my new bike). There’s a savouring and bottling-up quality to the slower, warmer days that I never want to miss out on, and a call to making the summer months count. You know what I'm talking about...
I’ve set some intentions around what I want to bring in this summer (lots of time spent outside, movement and nature) and some tangible ways to make it happen
Getting back on my bike: I’m trading in my ancient, heavy Linus for a lighter hybrid that is easier to lug off my front porch and which will handle trails too.
I joined a low-cost tennis club by the lake and booked a few lessons to get me back on the courts. I’m excited to make tennis dates instead of coffee dates and lunch dates. I’ll be riding my bike down too, for a double win!
I’ve planned two canoe trips (instead of just one) because even though these take some mega effort to execute - this is my favourite way to recharge on the deepest level.
Bringing in more of something often means letting go of something - or at least putting it on the back burner for a bit. I’m removing IG from my phone starting in July, so I can be on there when it feels right - not just because my phone is next to me. I’ve never done this before but imagine I’ll capture at least an extra hour a day. Maybe more?! It’s an experiment - I’ll let you know how it goes.
What do you want to bring in more of this season? How are you making it happen? Are you putting anything aside to make space for it? Does your downtime or sleep fit in here or do you like to stay up later and chase summer’s high energy? I love this article in the NYT and the idea of branding your summer, remembering “no summer comes back, and no two summers ever were alike.” What kind of summer are you going to have?
If you were in a winter sleep slump,
summer is a great time to reset rhythms.
As you might know, starting your day with a good dose of full spectrum (natural) light, and building movement into your mornings are two of several levers you can use to fall asleep and stay asleep more easily.
For most people this starts happening naturally in the warmer months, without trying, and then bingo bango, sleep starts improving…
But…. did you know that watching a sunset can help your sleep too? It’s not just getting morning light 90-120 minutes after waking that has benefits. In this podcast, Andrew Huberman explains exactly how 5-30 minutes of late afternoon or evening light can improve sleep.
When the sun is lower in the sky the wavelengths that are particular to this solar angle (the actual colour of this light), signals to your body clock that it’s evening, and sleep is coming, and helps your body start preparing. This also helps protect your body clock from artificial lights that you might be exposed to from 10pm onwards. The therapeutic benefits of a sunset are more than just its beauty!
This podcast is packed with low or no-cost ways to boost your sleep by minding the timing of your movement, caffeine intake, light exposure and temperature. Huberman also gets into how to recover more easily from shift work or a lousy night’s sleep.
I was listening to it again this week and was reminded how much these sleep enhancing suggestions line-up with summer’s natural rhythms. So if you were in a winter sleep slump, this is really worth a listen, not just for your sleep but for your daytime functioning, energy, immune system and hormones.
Wishing you a beautiful summer solstice and lots more of whatever you’re making space for.
