5 Tips to Thrive in Winter
Winter is just around the corner and if it’s your favorite season, that is so wonderful! If you struggle more during the darker, colder months, we get it. More time inside and shorter days can affect mental health, sleep and energy levels.
We have some tips below that can help keep your circadian rhythm optimal and your body connected to the reality of winter in a way that will hopefully keep you feeling balanced and thriving through this season.
Minimize Blue Light Exposure At Night
Our modern world allows us to have light whenever we want it and as late as we want it. That is so wonderful and also, it’s not really always the most supportive of our physiology. We are actually meant to have longer periods of darkness in the winter and it’s during this time we do even more tissue repair compared to the summer months.
Excessive blue light exposure can inhibit the release of melatonin, which can make it harder to fall and stay asleep and since melatonin is also an antioxidant, low levels can interfere with healing tissue and combating free radical damage while you sleep. Luckily, there are some simple steps to reduce blue light exposure in the evening.
Optimize your light bulbs
Regular LED bulbs have a narrow spectrum of light that is primarily in the blue and green light spectrum. Additionally, they are known to flicker on and off during use, which makes them energy efficient but can also be stressful on our nervous systems. Because even though we don’t perceive it, it’s happening and our body does pick it up.
By choosing flicker-free, full spectrum or circadian-friendly bulbs, you can easily create a more ideal lighting situation in your home that supports your nervous system, optimal sleep and general vitality. Waveform Lighting and Bon Charge make full-spectrum, flicker-free light bulbs.
Try Blue Light Blocking Glasses
If you’re someone who likes to watch shows, be on your computer or even read in the evening, blue light blocking glasses can help you do that without inferring with your circadian rhythm. Ideally, you want the ones with the amber lenses, which are made by Bon Charge and VivaRays.
Get Morning Sunlight In Your Eyes
Optimal melatonin production starts in the morning, ideally when UVA light is most present. This happens in the 2 hour window after sunrise. During this time, go outside and look towards the brightest part of the sky.
It’s less important to actually see the sun and please don’t look directly at the sun. Instead, just look up to the sky towards where the sun is coming up. As little as a minute of this is beneficial and the longer you are able to expose your eyes to this natural light in the morning, the better.
There are volatile amino acids in your eyes that require UVA light to convert to neurotransmitters to regulate mood and wakefulness throughout the day. Our bodies literally need the information from the sun to operate optimally. This morning light exposure should be done without wearing contact lenses or glasses, if possible.
Make your room as cave-like as possible
Any amount of light while we sleep will affect our ability to produce melatonin and growth hormone at the appropriate times. We need to consider actual light, from street or porch lights outside and electronics inside, as well as perceived light, which includes EMFs emitted from our phones and wifi routers.
Light is taken in by the eyes, as well as the skin, and both are meant to be in total darkness while we sleep. Moon light is the one exception and carries a very different light quality than LED lights that are typically used in lamps and electronics.
Go To Bed Earlier
It’s normal to stay up late in the summer months when the days are long but as we go through the shorter days and longer nights, it’s best to embrace the darkness and go to bed earlier.
Don’t push through feelings of fatigue, which can lead to spikes in cortisol, one of our stress hormones, and actually make it harder to fall asleep. Poor sleep in the winter can be a result of not getting enough natural sunlight exposure or spending so much extra time in artificial light that our melatonin levels don’t have a chance to peak or peak at inappropriate times during our sleep cycle, which is often related to the blue light exposure mentioned above.
Eliminate Non-natural EMFs At Night
Electromagnetic frequencies can be natural, from the earth, or non-natural, from our devices mostly. When we sleep, it’s best to have as few non-natural emfs as possible around us to allow for the best rest and maximum tissue healing.
Keep your phone, wifi router, computers, tablets, etc as far away from your sleeping space as possible. If you’re on call or need to have your phone nearby, placing it on the floor or across the room from you makes a big difference from having it near your head or on your nightstand.
Embrace The Cozy
We live in a world that is not the same all year long and we’re meant to follow the natural cycles of the seasons.
Winter is a time to turn inward, reflect on our growth over the last year, compost what no longer serves us and prepare for the rebirth of springtime. You’re not meant to operate at the same level of productivity and activity as in the summer months. Do less, rest more, sit by the fire and try to remember there will be a time in the not too distant future when it will be time to ramp up all you do again.
We hope you have a wonderful winter season and if you’d like more support in optimizing your health and feeling better. Book a discovery call with us to see if we’re a good fit.
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