Get Light Exposure at the Right Times

[goodvibes]

Excerpt from Lewis Howes School of Greatness Podcast #1204 Eliminate Brain Fog, Increase Your Focus & Control Your Motivation w/Andrew Huberman a neuroscientist and tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Quote

Ultimate Morning Routine for Focus - Andrew Huberman 2022

I’m curious to know what Andrew’s morning routine is, considering he knows exactly what sets the brain and mind up for optimal performance.

“I generally get up somewhere between 5:30 AM and 7:00 AM depending on when I went to sleep. I generally [go to sleep] between 10:30 PM and midnight. [After hydrating,] the fundamental layer of health is to set your circadian rhythm, [and] the simplest way is to go outside for 10 minutes and get bright light in your eyes. If you wake up before the sun rises, turn on as many bright lights in your house as possible, but when the sun comes out, get outside and see some sunlight [and try not to] wear sunglasses.” – Andrew Huberman

Once every 24 hours, our cortisol peaks, but you want that peak to happen early in the day because it sets up alertness for the remainder of the day. If our cortisol peak occurs too late, that can lead to depression, so you want your cortisol “stressed out” at the beginning of the day.

“What’s cool is, over time, you’ll start to notice the sunlight waking you up more and more. If you miss a day, it’s not the end of the world because it’s a slow integrating system, but don’t miss more than one day. If you live in a very cloudy [area], know that sunlight [and] the photons coming through the cloud cover are brighter than your brightest indoor lights.” – Andrew Huberman

Sunlight doesn’t only set your circadian rhythm, it also aligns every cell in your body’s 24-hour clock. Imagine if every alarm clock is set to different times, going off non-stop throughout the day? Viewing sunlight helps ensure all the alarms go off simultaneously and prevents you from feeling drained.

Even waiting two or three hours after waking up to get bright light in your eyes is setting yourself up for a complicated sleep-wake cycle — which can lead to insomnia.

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by goodvibes