Morning light: What a few minutes enjoying the early sunshine can do for your wellbeing

Dr Doireann O’Leary is just one of many people who are sharing the benefits of ‘morning light’. But can 10 minutes of early daylight really make a difference to your life? Maeve Lee asks the experts

Pic: iStock

Sea swimming may have been all the rage during the pandemic but now, another practice is doing the rounds on social media with experts sharing the benefits and encouraging their followers to give it a go.

“I can’t sleep at all if I haven’t got my morning light,” says Dr Doireann O’Leary. 

The Cork GP has been aware of the benefits of getting morning light since her days as a junior doctor when long shifts indoors meant her body clock was not well regulated. Now, it is part of her daily routine.

“I’ve been doing it myself for about three years now but only recently started sharing some information on it online. The response has been wonderful. It resonates with people because they see the results for themselves almost instantly. People message me saying they’re getting the best night’s sleep of their life.”

If you haven’t heard of the term, ‘morning light’ is exactly what you would think. The latest trend refers to exposure to daylight first thing in the morning, or as close to when you wake up as possible.

Dr O’Leary has been sharing the benefits with her 186k Instagram followers, urging them to give it a go. 

She explains that exposure to daylight for just 10 to 20 minutes before 9am is scientifically proven to regulate our circadian rhythm or natural body clock. But how does it work?

“The light hitting the back of our eyes (the retina) sends signals to the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain signalling that it’s morning and time to wake up. This triggers a peak in cortisol which is meant to spike in the morning to support alertness and wakefulness,” she says.

“It also suppresses melatonin production, the sleep hormone. By getting this morning light we’re setting our body clock. This is scientifically proven to result in more alertness throughout the day and more restful, restorative sleep at night.”

Sara Hunt is another firm advocate for morning light. While she has always loved being outside, the Kinsale-based GP has been learning more about the science behind morning light over the last number of years.

“I would normally just take my cup of coffee outside into the garden and my kids might bounce on the trampoline or I might just sit outside my house,” she says. 

“If I can’t do that for whatever reason, I would just open my window in my kitchen and look out and spend a few minutes at the window having my cup of coffee there.” 

For Dr Hunt, the benefits of exposure to daylight early in the morning include a better night’s sleep with the mother-of-two stating that she has “no problem falling asleep”.

“I think over time you will notice [an] improvement in your mood,” she says, adding that your ability to handle stress can also be improved.

According to Web MD, one study of 700 people during the covid pandemic found that those who either spent one to two hours outdoors daily, or spent their days in a brightly lit room, “were less likely to have trouble sleeping or report anxiety”.

“Sleep is the foundation of good health,” says Dr O’Leary. “If we don’t sleep well, we don’t eat well due to increased hunger hormone ghrelin and decreased satiety hormone leptin; this results in eating sugary foods.

“Furthermore, we don’t perform well at exercise when sleep deprived. Poor sleep is associated with low mood, anxiety, increased risk of workplace errors, road traffic accidents, type 2 diabetes, heart attack, dementia and even cancer.

“Sleep, more so than diet and exercise, plays a critical role in our physical and mental health. Morning light helps us achieve better sleep.”

Well-known Cork doctor Dr Doireann O'Leary. Pic: Brian McEvoy

FREE AND ACCESSIBLE

On a sunny day, ten minutes taking in the sunshine (while wearing sun protection) before 9am should suffice. 

On overcast days, we may need approximately 20 minutes. Ditching the sunglasses when possible can also help with ensuring you are getting a good amount of exposure to daylight.

A new mum, Dr O’Leary used to get her daily dose of morning light on an early walk but these days, while on maternity leave, she opts for an al fresco breakfast.

“It’s especially important in winter when we get so few hours of daylight and when people tend to suffer from SAD or seasonal affective disorder, often triggered by lack of daylight hours,” says Dr O’Leary.

Aside from the health-related benefits, for many people, the daily dose of morning light has also become a form of mindfulness. Having time alone before launching into the business of the day is also important, Dr Hunt says.

“I love it because it’s free and accessible to everybody,” she says.

Dr Hunt also notes how sleep is “at the root of lots of problems” and once your sleep improves, there is a domino-like effect on other areas.

“I think that [morning light] ticks lots of boxes for people and it’s manageable for people to make that change,” she says. 

“A lot of the time we get very caught up in food or going to a yoga class and things like that, whereas this is just so simple.” 

With more bright mornings and sunshine to come, it is the perfect time to start making morning light part of your daily routine.

It can be anything from a walk in the morning, or even just opening your window while you’re eating breakfast. 

“Taking your bins out in the morning instead of the evening,” Dr Hunt says, offering another example of fitting morning light into your daily routine.

“I try and tell people to find literally any way, move their schedule around, so that it means that they have to go outside first thing when it’s sunrise or just after sunrise if that’s possible. Anything is better than nothing. Any amount of light is good.”