16 ms·

"A healthy circadian rhythm depends on seeing bright light while you’re awake, not just avoiding bright light before bed" This statement cannot be emphasized e

"A healthy circadian rhythm depends on seeing bright light while you’re awake, not just avoiding bright light before bed" This statement cannot be emphasized enough. Especially for Hackers and other indoor/Desk bound folks, the amount of bright sunlight exposure is critically important for two reasons: 1) Sunlight is the "moderator" of our circadian Rhythm via Melatonin and other Neuro-chemicals 2) A large percentage of people are Vitamin-D deficient, more Sunlight (on skin) = greater chance of Combating this issue Taken together, fixing these will resolve many issues..

scott_karana 13y ago
Looks like the f.lux people agree: "The sun is up—go outside!" is the message I'm seeing right now in the Preferences. :-)
sorbits 13y ago
I moved from a dark to a very bright apartment, and it fixed my sleep problems, except during winter (where there is little sun, as I’m from Scandinavia), to fix that, I try to spend the darker months on the southern hemisphere.
- hkmurakami 13y ago
  You may consider investing in a natural sunlight lamp. http://www.amazon.com/NatureBright-SunTouch-Plus-Light-Therapy/dp/B000W8Y7FY http://www.amazon.com/NatureBright-SunTouch-Plus-Light-Thera...
dethstar 13y ago
Could this explain how moving from my less thick curtains has made me very tired? I used to just wake up at the rise of the sun and felt refreshed no matter what, but now it seems like I never get any good sleep.
- GigabyteCoin 13y ago
  Do some A B testing on yourself to know for sure. In my opinion however, lack of sunlight when waking weighs heavily on ones ability to rise in the mornings.
  - mattgreenrocks 13y ago
    It's probably seasonal affective disorder, but I feel my mood is heavily predicated on my own perception of how much sunlight is streaming through my window right when I wake up. It sets the tone for the rest of the day.
- atmosx 13y ago
  Yes. When the sun doesn't hit the room your circadian cycle is affected. I used to close down the blinds and some times I'd wake up at 11 or 13 AM thinking that it's 9 AM. Now, out of pure lack I live in a house which has no blinds. So I wake up alone no matter what, at 8:00 AM. If I need more sleep, due to late night activity, I get another one-two hours in the evening. My parents were telling me and they were right. We need to make sure the sun can enter the bedroom in the morning. To enhance sleep are necessary a couple of other things: * Clean oxygen in the room (usually opening the windows 5 minutes before waiting for sleep will do) * Proper room temperature (you need to feel warm UNDER the blankets, but not sweat) * Less possible rumors in the room * Avoid any CNS stimulant (coffee, black tea, coca-cola, etc.). A glass of red wine (just one) is very good. It's the recommended daily dosage (tannins) and although contains sugars, can act as a natural CNS inhibitor. * light dinner, possibly 4 hours before (say you go to 00:15 AM to bed, it's good to have a light, rich in fibers dinner at 8-9 AM: Yogurt, Vegetables etc. Avoid fruits, after 6 AM, only black bread and vegetables should be taken). * Close the screens and get a book if you don't feel really sleepy. This habit helps the circadian cycle in my personal experience. Watching movies/tv-series while waiting for sleep is an oxymoron: Your adrenaline levels, instead of getting lowered they get get higher, enhancing the opposite effect (alertness). Of course, the BEST sleep, comes after a physically intense day and if you don't have physically intense days it's good to do some exercise in order to make your body feel tired at the time you need it to be tired. PS. Wish you (and me) all the best, because it's one thing knowing (I study pharmacy, so I get a lot of this stuff) and a different thing doing... So this comment was a form of self-advice basically :-)
  - udit99 13y ago
    >Less possible rumors in the room I think you meant something different, but I'm not sure what. murmurs? noise?
    - wattengard 13y ago
      It probably has to do with waking up at 13 AM......
      - 13y ago
- arethuza 13y ago
  "I used to just wake up at the rise of the sun" I like rising with the Sun, but at 58.9 degrees North there is only a few weeks a year where this is possible without radically changing my daily schedule with the seasons (about now happily being in one of those periods).
  - deong 13y ago
    Yeah, I'm in Iceland. There would be four months a year where I got 90 minutes of sleep a night, and another four where I'd have to convince my boss that a three hour workday was fine.
    - atmosx 13y ago
      Nordic Countries have this problem which affects melatonin levels and human psychology. It's not a very good place. I think the best conditions are met in the Mediterranean.
      - deong 13y ago
        It affects each person differently though. Personally, I don't notice it at all. It is a bit harder to get up in the morning if it's still pitch-dark outside, but otherwise, I have no SAD-type effects. Others can barely function without those lamps that are white-balanced to match sunlight and programmed to gradually brighten up in the morning.
      - arethuza 13y ago
        "It's not a very good place" I'm inclined to think that the longer hours in summer more than make up for the shorter hours in winter. Doesn't help with sleep but for any kind of outdoor activity it can be glorious.
        atmosx 13y ago
        Hm, I stand with Diogenes Laertius on this: "Moderation is best".
616c 13y ago
To further this point, ironically in the Middle East (like the Persian Gulf specifically) the sun is so strong even locals do not spend so much time outside with direct contact with sunlight. Everyone, and I mean everyone here, is told by medical professionals Vitamin D deficiency is so widespread causes weird problems. We have to give our child Vitamin D supplements daily, and doctors tell me we could give him horse-pill like supplement regiments; the only place in the world where this is so strongly encouraged. So, the rest of you, just go outside.
- OWaz 13y ago
  I know of three different people (late 20s to early 30s) who had pains in their joints and were all diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency. All three live in Southern Arizona where most people prefer not to stay out too long in the sun.
- rtfeldman 13y ago
  It's not that simple. Some of us (I'm a redhead) sunburn so easily, getting enough sunlight to avoid vitamin D deficiency means either near-constant sunscreen application or else a long-term risk of skin cancer. My doctor emphatically told me to take supplements rather than to spend more time in the sun.
  - wyager 13y ago
    All sources I've read seemed to indicate that white people only need a few minutes a day of direct sun exposure to the entire body to get sufficient vitamin D. How long does it take you to burn?
    - cbhl 13y ago
      I'm under the impression that depending on your skin type you can burn within a few minutes.
      - weavie 13y ago
        I was under the impression that you can build up your tolerance to the sun by slowly increasing your exposure to it each day. Does this not apply for certain skin types?
ajcarpy2005 13y ago
If you have an infrared light in your bathroom, using it before/after shower while undressing/dressing can help your body make a little more Vitamin D.
- samatman 13y ago
  Vitamin D is synthesized by ultraviolet light.
clumsysmurf 13y ago
Also, a recent discovery suggests sunlight lowers blood pressure via blood vessel dilation. Its not quite known how sunlight does this - one possibility is that it mobilizes nitric oxide in the skin.

scott_karana 13y ago

Looks like the f.lux people agree: "The sun is up—go outside!" is the message I'm seeing right now in the Preferences. :-)

sorbits 13y ago

I moved from a dark to a very bright apartment, and it fixed my sleep problems, except during winter (where there is little sun, as I’m from Scandinavia), to fix that, I try to spend the darker months on the southern hemisphere.

hkmurakami 13y ago
You may consider investing in a natural sunlight lamp. http://www.amazon.com/NatureBright-SunTouch-Plus-Light-Therapy/dp/B000W8Y7FY http://www.amazon.com/NatureBright-SunTouch-Plus-Light-Thera...

dethstar 13y ago

Could this explain how moving from my less thick curtains has made me very tired? I used to just wake up at the rise of the sun and felt refreshed no matter what, but now it seems like I never get any good sleep.

GigabyteCoin 13y ago
Do some A B testing on yourself to know for sure. In my opinion however, lack of sunlight when waking weighs heavily on ones ability to rise in the mornings.
- mattgreenrocks 13y ago
  It's probably seasonal affective disorder, but I feel my mood is heavily predicated on my own perception of how much sunlight is streaming through my window right when I wake up. It sets the tone for the rest of the day.
atmosx 13y ago
Yes. When the sun doesn't hit the room your circadian cycle is affected. I used to close down the blinds and some times I'd wake up at 11 or 13 AM thinking that it's 9 AM. Now, out of pure lack I live in a house which has no blinds. So I wake up alone no matter what, at 8:00 AM. If I need more sleep, due to late night activity, I get another one-two hours in the evening. My parents were telling me and they were right. We need to make sure the sun can enter the bedroom in the morning. To enhance sleep are necessary a couple of other things: * Clean oxygen in the room (usually opening the windows 5 minutes before waiting for sleep will do) * Proper room temperature (you need to feel warm UNDER the blankets, but not sweat) * Less possible rumors in the room * Avoid any CNS stimulant (coffee, black tea, coca-cola, etc.). A glass of red wine (just one) is very good. It's the recommended daily dosage (tannins) and although contains sugars, can act as a natural CNS inhibitor. * light dinner, possibly 4 hours before (say you go to 00:15 AM to bed, it's good to have a light, rich in fibers dinner at 8-9 AM: Yogurt, Vegetables etc. Avoid fruits, after 6 AM, only black bread and vegetables should be taken). * Close the screens and get a book if you don't feel really sleepy. This habit helps the circadian cycle in my personal experience. Watching movies/tv-series while waiting for sleep is an oxymoron: Your adrenaline levels, instead of getting lowered they get get higher, enhancing the opposite effect (alertness). Of course, the BEST sleep, comes after a physically intense day and if you don't have physically intense days it's good to do some exercise in order to make your body feel tired at the time you need it to be tired. PS. Wish you (and me) all the best, because it's one thing knowing (I study pharmacy, so I get a lot of this stuff) and a different thing doing... So this comment was a form of self-advice basically :-)
- udit99 13y ago
  >Less possible rumors in the room I think you meant something different, but I'm not sure what. murmurs? noise?
  - wattengard 13y ago
    It probably has to do with waking up at 13 AM......
    - 13y ago
arethuza 13y ago
"I used to just wake up at the rise of the sun" I like rising with the Sun, but at 58.9 degrees North there is only a few weeks a year where this is possible without radically changing my daily schedule with the seasons (about now happily being in one of those periods).
- deong 13y ago
  Yeah, I'm in Iceland. There would be four months a year where I got 90 minutes of sleep a night, and another four where I'd have to convince my boss that a three hour workday was fine.
  - atmosx 13y ago
    Nordic Countries have this problem which affects melatonin levels and human psychology. It's not a very good place. I think the best conditions are met in the Mediterranean.
    - deong 13y ago
      It affects each person differently though. Personally, I don't notice it at all. It is a bit harder to get up in the morning if it's still pitch-dark outside, but otherwise, I have no SAD-type effects. Others can barely function without those lamps that are white-balanced to match sunlight and programmed to gradually brighten up in the morning.
    - arethuza 13y ago
      "It's not a very good place" I'm inclined to think that the longer hours in summer more than make up for the shorter hours in winter. Doesn't help with sleep but for any kind of outdoor activity it can be glorious.
      - atmosx 13y ago
        Hm, I stand with Diogenes Laertius on this: "Moderation is best".

616c 13y ago

To further this point, ironically in the Middle East (like the Persian Gulf specifically) the sun is so strong even locals do not spend so much time outside with direct contact with sunlight. Everyone, and I mean everyone here, is told by medical professionals Vitamin D deficiency is so widespread causes weird problems. We have to give our child Vitamin D supplements daily, and doctors tell me we could give him horse-pill like supplement regiments; the only place in the world where this is so strongly encouraged. So, the rest of you, just go outside.

OWaz 13y ago
I know of three different people (late 20s to early 30s) who had pains in their joints and were all diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency. All three live in Southern Arizona where most people prefer not to stay out too long in the sun.
rtfeldman 13y ago
It's not that simple. Some of us (I'm a redhead) sunburn so easily, getting enough sunlight to avoid vitamin D deficiency means either near-constant sunscreen application or else a long-term risk of skin cancer. My doctor emphatically told me to take supplements rather than to spend more time in the sun.
- wyager 13y ago
  All sources I've read seemed to indicate that white people only need a few minutes a day of direct sun exposure to the entire body to get sufficient vitamin D. How long does it take you to burn?
  - cbhl 13y ago
    I'm under the impression that depending on your skin type you can burn within a few minutes.
    - weavie 13y ago
      I was under the impression that you can build up your tolerance to the sun by slowly increasing your exposure to it each day. Does this not apply for certain skin types?

ajcarpy2005 13y ago

If you have an infrared light in your bathroom, using it before/after shower while undressing/dressing can help your body make a little more Vitamin D.

samatman 13y ago
Vitamin D is synthesized by ultraviolet light.

clumsysmurf 13y ago

Also, a recent discovery suggests sunlight lowers blood pressure via blood vessel dilation. Its not quite known how sunlight does this - one possibility is that it mobilizes nitric oxide in the skin.