You are Made of Sunlight

Foundational Health Principle 9: Get Sunlight in Your Eyes Every Morning

Facts of the day: Viewing sunlight in the morning causes ~50% increase in circulating cortisol, epinephrine, and dopamine. (Andrew Huberman)

There’s been a lot of talk recently about exposure to sunlight. Stanford Professor Andrew Huberman, who has created the country’s most listened-to health podcast, has said sun exposure in the morning is his one non-negotiable health habit. 

I personally thought this habit sounded a bit frivolous, but I can say that almost every health leader I look up to says it is foundational. I have been trying to get more sun exposure in the morning, and I think it makes a difference. 

We must remember we are literally made of sunshine: the sun’s energy is converted to glucose in plants, which is then broken down by human bodies to create cellular energy, and to build structural components of our bodies. Aside from the glucose we consume being a physical byproduct of sunlight, light also acts as an energetic messenger to signal to the brain and body how and when to initiate certain metabolic pathways. 

When our retinas receive inconsistent light, the body’s sleep-wake cycle—known as our circadian rhythm— goes haywire, impacting everything from food intake, insulin sensitivity, glucose control, and energy expenditure. Our cells have clock genes, which self-regulate their expression on close to a 24-hour cycle, although light (and food) timing affects this pattern.

In rats, bright light exposure in the morning leads to lower weight and glucose levels (as well as lower anxiety and depressive behaviors). However, most of us are not getting that optimal exposure. As one paper states, current lifestyle and social habits, such as eating or working at night, being exposed to artificial light at night, and altered sleeping schedules, are among the factors that can cause circadian disruption. 

For more resources, check out my sister’s blog post here and the protocol Andrew Huberman uses here.

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