As diurnal mammals, humans are meant to spend most of our waking hours outdoors. That’s what our biology is designed for. Sunlight and shade. Receiving either full spectrum solar radiation from visible and invisible wavelengths.
What this means, qualitatively, is -A good dose of UV light on our bare skin through the hours between 9am to 4pm. A massive amount of full spectrum visible light through our eyes between 6 am and 6pm, and a steady drip feed of low intensity infra red light on our skin, throughout the day between 6am and 6pm.
The UV light exposure required for most people is around 10-15 minutes a week. On a bare torso. That’s quite an easy target to hit. That number is based on the bare minimum required to synthesize enough vitamin D to keep one out of deficiency. You’ll need more if you’re stressed or unhealthy to begin with. You’ll also need more time in the sun if you’re clothed, or if you have darker skin
The visible spectrum light is possibly the most important one, when it comes to fixing circadian rhythm. Of all the body parts, the eyes are the most sensitive and discerning when it comes to light. In natural lighting, most of this is scattered light that is reflected off of objects around us. Before we started using phones and computer screens, this light did not have the dominance of blue, the way we have today. The light from these screens maybe low intensity, compared to the ambient light outdoors, but the duration, proximity and focus we have on these screens in a regular day, will overdose you, quite easily. And that’s obviously not a good thing, in case you needed me to spell it out.
Infra red radiation from our surroundings is far less perceivable, but of enormous significance. Infra red, especially in the 650-850 nm range tends to be very beneficial for mitochondrial health. Exposure to these wavelengths improves energy production, and reduces oxidative stress at a cellular level. This means, better metabolic markers like blood glucose. Solar infra red is present at all times during daylight hours, and as it gets hotter, the amount in the environment goes up. It penetrates far more than visible and ultra violet radiation. Therefore, it lights up your insides, literally. Bones, intestines and solid organs even.
Our current lifestyle, indoors, gives us
- very little UV
- too much blue in the visible spectrum-
- and too little infra red.
This leads to- a perpetual “winter” being sensed by your body
- making you hungry,
- making you tired and less energetic
- with poor impulse control
- low sex hormone levels
- reduced metabolic flexibility,
- diseases like diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and high blood pressure
Fixing the light environment is the easiest thing you can do.
Far easier than fixing your diet, or getting to the gym. I’m not saying those aren’t important. I’m saying that exercising, eating well and getting healthy becomes less of an uphill struggle, if you can fix your light environment.
All of the above is just a short primer on what to do with your light environment. What you do in the day. The night, is just as important. Darkness at night is missing from our lives too. That will be the topic of another post.
How many doctors does it take to change a light bulb?
Well, let’s see… One to diagnose the bulb as “non-illuminatory,” another to prescribe a replacement, a third to bill your insurance for the procedure, and a fourth to tell you it’s not covered because it’s a “pre-existing darkness condition.” So, I’d say about four—unless it’s a specialist bulb, then you’re looking at a whole team and a six-month wait for the appointment! What do you think—should we call in a surgeon for the extraction?
Or, you could just go out and change them yourself. If you’re interested in learning how, let me know in the comments. Ask your questions.
Dr. Louis George 