Using Light the Right Way for More Energy
Did you know the most powerful biohacks are free? Light, for example. Science is revealing just how many body functions depend on it to start or stop, and the most useful light in the world comes from the sun. It’s like a magic switch that reboots your energy levels if you know how to use it.
Light Hacks
By optimize your light environment you can reduce digital eye strain, have fewer migraines, experience less anxiety, sleep better, recovery better and have more energy. Who wouldn’t want that?
Light-filtering glasses. Funky-colored glasses are like a biohacking badge—everyone wears them. Here is what I do. When I’m outside I don’t filter (no sunglasses unless the glare is harmful). Ideally, when I’m exposed to artificial light during the day, I wear glasses that filter out harmful blues from digital devices for less eyestrain. I’ve got light-yellow blue-blocking lenses, which serve as a mood booster. For a good night’s sleep, I slip on blue and green blockers that have red lenses.
The right balance. There are other strategies to mitigate the high amounts of blue light found in digital devices or LED lighting. All blue light damages the eyes, while red light repairs them. Add red light on top of the blue can help the eyes. I like to work on my computer outdoors (need that retina screen though), because the sun has all the red light I need. Otherwise, you can add some red light to your office environment (a salt lamp, for example).
Modulating light. There are apps like f.lux (which reduces blue light) and Iris (which acts on blue light and flicker) that regulate the lighting on your computer. It’s still worth wearing blueblockers. Also, using candles or only red lights in your home after sunset could improve your sleep.
Sunrise, sun breaks, and sunset. Watching the sunrise will energize you for the day, and watching the sunset calms and helps lower cortisol production to start moving into the repair and restore phase. In between, get outside for regular five-minute sun breaks (even if it’s cloudy) so your eyes and skin get the light signals they need to balance hormones and your body clock.
We’ve only been talking about the circadian rhythm since 1959, when a scientist formed the word from the Latin circa (“about”) and dies (“day”), but people have been rising and setting with the sun since, well, the dawn of time (sorry). Circadian rhythm refers to the rough 24-hour clock our body follows for nearly everything—hormones, neurotransmitters, metabolism, depth and quality of sleep and rejuvenation, appetite, stress, longevity, and wakefulness. It’s all about light and dark.
The Lowdown
If you use light to align your schedule with your biology, your brain and body function better, you sleep deeper, and you have lots more energy. Light (and color) literally are physical manifestations of energy.
If you feel tired, look to your circadian rhythm. It’s disruption ranks as the number one cause of fatigue and takes two basic forms:
Not getting enough full-spectrum daylight, which signals the brain to turn the energy on.
Getting too much artificial light at night, turning off our ability to produce melatonin, which we need to sleep and repair the mitochondria, the powerhouses of out cells. Strong mitochondria results in more energy. The more you upend your circadian rhythm, the less you regenerate.
The wrong light at the wrong times also messes with key neurotransmitters in your brain—serotonin (joy and pleasure), dopamine (motivation and drive), GABA (relaxation and calm), orexin (energy and wakefulness).
You get the picture, mood, mental health, brain performance and energy levels are all at play. Flickering light (LEDs and computer screens) also impacts the nervous system.
Three Things You Need to Know About Light
Sunlight’s your best buddy. We evolved with the sun’s full-spectrum light, and it gives all kinds of signals to the body. Sunlight within 30 minutes of waking triggers a cascade of signals to wake up, be alert, get activated and energetic. Can’t do that for some reason (like the sun doesn’t rise where you are)? Get a lamp that simulates a full spectrum. If you wake up before the sun rises, try wearing red blue-clocking glasses until the sun comes up (see below). Then go out and watch the sun rise. Don’t ever look directly at the sun.
Darkness is your bedfellow. Kick devices out of your bedroom. Cover up all lights and digital displays. Close the shutters and put up blackout curtains. Research shows that even tiny lights in a room can have a measurable negative impact on your brain function. Specialists define physiological darkness as in the absence of blue and green light. Try a sleep mask for improved REM sleep, but remember that the skin is photosensitive.
Blue and green light are frenemies. Unless you’re a hermit in a cave in the Pyrenees somewhere, you’ve probably heard about the dangers of blue light. Actually, natural blue (and green) light (i.e., from the sun) regulates your body clock, improves alertness, reaction times and creates a sense of wellness. When the sun sets, the absence of blue and green light signals the brain that it’s time to sleep.
And then there’s artificial blue light—the kind found in huge quantities coming from your favorite devices and from your light bulbs. Both blue light (400–495 nm) and green light (500–550 nm) have short wavelengths and contain intense amounts of energy. Harvard University has shown that exposure to blue and green light after dark disrupts sleep and increases the risk of type-2 diabetes, depression, heart disease, anxiety and cancer. Wear blue/green-light filtering glasses to mitigate if you’re going on Facebook or binging on a series after dusk.