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Yeah, I've noticed the same in Southern Africa. By 8-9pm I was always totally ready to go to sleep, and I'd actually be pretty happy to get up at 4:30~5:00am. A

Yeah, I've noticed the same in Southern Africa. By 8-9pm I was always totally ready to go to sleep, and I'd actually be pretty happy to get up at 4:30~5:00am. Although we had artificial lighting, it was fairly low-wattage incandescent. During the day, the sunshine was intense (being near-vertical due to borderline-tropical latitude), which probably helped to contrast day & night too. I should probably live somewhere like that with less reliance on artificial light. I felt so much better being able to just go to sleep and pass out pretty much immediately, and actually felt refreshed and ready to face the day in the morning. That said, I rather appreciate the comforts of highly developed countries…

the_economist 14y ago
Our relationships with the sun are deeply disturbed and this is likely responsible for many ailments, mental and physical, that we suffer from. Our circadian rhythms are regulated by sunlight. More specifically, the pineal gland in the brain suppresses melatonin when the retina is exposed to natural sunlight. This allows for a huge melatonin surge at night, putting you to sleep and telling the body to perform its nighttime functions. When you aren't exposed to natural light during the day, your pineal brands produce melatonin when they should not be doing so, leading to all sorts of problems. To make matters worse, even looking at the sun through a window won't work; enough spectrum is blocked that melatonin production continues. tl;dr; If you want to optimize health and sleep, work outside (in the shade) as often as possible.
- keithpeter 14y ago
  OK, I live at 53 degrees North, so of course we have short winter days and long summer days. Any reference on the longer cycle regulation of melatonin? I've noticed that I just do more when the longer days return...
  - the_economist 14y ago
    There is some thought that even an hour outside at noon can regulate your melatonin cycle. I would at least try that, coupled with less artificial light after dark.

the_economist 14y ago

Our relationships with the sun are deeply disturbed and this is likely responsible for many ailments, mental and physical, that we suffer from. Our circadian rhythms are regulated by sunlight. More specifically, the pineal gland in the brain suppresses melatonin when the retina is exposed to natural sunlight. This allows for a huge melatonin surge at night, putting you to sleep and telling the body to perform its nighttime functions. When you aren't exposed to natural light during the day, your pineal brands produce melatonin when they should not be doing so, leading to all sorts of problems. To make matters worse, even looking at the sun through a window won't work; enough spectrum is blocked that melatonin production continues. tl;dr; If you want to optimize health and sleep, work outside (in the shade) as often as possible.

keithpeter 14y ago
OK, I live at 53 degrees North, so of course we have short winter days and long summer days. Any reference on the longer cycle regulation of melatonin? I've noticed that I just do more when the longer days return...
- the_economist 14y ago
  There is some thought that even an hour outside at noon can regulate your melatonin cycle. I would at least try that, coupled with less artificial light after dark.