I woke up in the dark

Winter has descended in a hurry. It’s not so bad during the day, but nights have gotten frigid. I got in the car to drive the Gamer to school and it was 27 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I even had to scrape off the windshield. Hibernation sounds really good at the moment. But since humans do not hibernate, I thought I’d see how those of us who wake up in the dark for most of the year manage to win the struggle.

Lack of light is actually a serious thing. The presence of light influences the levels of melatonin in our bodies, helping us to either wake up or go to sleep. In turn, this sets or delays our circadian rhythm. The later we are exposed to light, the later we wake up. And the longer we are exposed to light, the longer we stay awake. Meaning it will be more difficult to wake up at the same time the next morning. 

So if the crux of the issue is light, how do we get more light in our lives when it is in scarce supply? They are working on some innovative options in Sweden. 

I think my favorite is the light spa. Umeå University calls it the Aurora light room, but you simply go into an all-white environment and soak in the full-spectrum light for a short period of time. When there is no light to be had outside, this is the closest they can get.

I would go to the tanning salon on dark winter days when I was in college because the lack of sunlight was affecting me. This seems like a much safer option with very similar results.

The Swedish Energy Agency is working on a fun project. They hope to create a “healthy home” that will monitor each family member’s circadian rhythm via an app and adjust the lighting according to individual needs. Mainly it would control the types of light in the house, focusing on full-spectrum and blue light during the day, and warmer light in the evening.

Your phone probably has an app that controls the amount of blue light emitted at night. The Nordic countries are already pretty good at monitoring their evening light levels. The concept of hygge recommends candles, no screens, and quiet activities. These all help the body to wind down in time for sleep. And all can be done in low light levels. But mornings seem to pose a bigger problem. Blue light during the day helps college students at Umeå to have more energy by mimicking the midday sun. But can we apply blue light in the morning to kick-start our day?

If our cell phones become an issue in the evenings, can they be a help in the morning by mimicking, in a tiny way, Sweden’s Aurora light room? I think they can, as long as they’re applied correctly. Who needs to buy an expensive light when you have one already in your possession.

I wake up early to take the Gamer to school. On days when I turn off my alarm without really looking at my phone, I tend to go back to bed until the last minute before we must leave. But on days when I pick up my phone and interact with it for a few minutes I tend to stay awake. Why? I have inadvertently exposed myself to blue light, which has kick-started the process of reducing the melatonin in my body that’s keeping me drowsy. 

As long as I’m not doing something addictive, like social media, I will typically put the phone down after 5-10 minutes and move on with my day. 

Of course, there are many other ways to get ourselves out of bed. Having a meal ready, interacting with someone else in the house, exercising outside, keeping a deadline. These all work. But light is the most natural way to train our bodies and to keep our circadian rhythm intact.

What did I learn from this?

Embrace the Light.