The Easiest-Hardest Thing

The Easiest-Hardest Thing

When it comes to rebalancing our health, we look for something quick and effective. Something as easy as taking a supplement, skipping breakfast, swapping a meal for a shake, or eliminating carbs. What if I told you there is a free and even more simple way to implement balance into our lives?

Last year I dove into continuing education while creating a deeper relationship with nature here on the farm. Ever changing wellness trends fade in and out and all the while our bodies become further stressed in the name of convenience. It is impossible to keep up with the newest movement that promises a healthy life, but if we are willing to take the time to listen, nature offers the answers for us. Through my time with nature, I found what I consider to be the “easiest-hardest thing” for improving overall health- light hygiene.

I began a course on light hygiene and repairing the circadian rhythm during which I had also started a few seed trays. I knew the seeds needed natural times of light and dark, mineral rich soil, and proper temperatures for the season we were in. Over time the seeds slowly broke out of the soil. Each morning, after resting and retaining energy in the dark of the night, the seeds woke and reached towards the early morning light that shown on their tiny leaves. They had no outside influences to change their plans, they knew what to do, day in and day out.

Now here we are, the “seedlings” that have lost touch of their instincts. We wake (most of us feeling unrested after falling asleep to a screen), return to our screens, bathe ourselves in artificial light, fuel ourselves with caffeine and possibly a little something to eat before starting our day. I am aware that I painted a grim image but sadly studies show that it is the typical routine of the average human. We are in a constant struggle with imbalances in our health and to make changes in our routines.

Often forgotten or unknown, is that every hormone secreted in our body is triggered by light to the eyes and/or skin. This communication with our hypothalamus helps our body decide what to do next, therefore, how we begin and end our day matters. When we think of hormone health, we generally think of women and their reproductive/sex hormones, forgetting that mens’ hormone health is equally as important. The truth is we all need to focus on our hormone health, regardless of our gender, and to remind ourselves that our endocrine pathways are in charge many functions. We all need healthy hormones for things other than sex and reproduction. Just a few examples being sleep, energy to be awake, to handle stress, mood stability, temperature regulation, and turning food into energy. We don’t want to be signaling our wake-up hormones while we are a hour or two from bed time. Speaking from my own experience, we cannot out supplement poor light hygiene.

If the seedlings I had planted had not had light after germination, they would yellow and rot. Alternatively, if they never had dark to rest from photosynthesis, they would not be able to store energy for growth. Too much of either and the seedling would never fruit, flower, seed or reproduce. We are not so different. It seems so simple, yet with the influences in our lives and our daily wants and needs, I have found that these are some of the most challenging changes to make.

I would like to offer a few suggestions to kickstart our habit changes. To start, implementing natural light anytime you can is something to strive for. If you must wake before sunrise, keep artificial lights as low as possible. It might feel like going backwards in time but replace LED bathroom and bedroom bulbs with warm incandescent lights. Stay decaffeinated until you have had protein and natural sunlight. When the sun rises, go outside for a few minutes- let the light hit your eyes and skin to let your body know its time to up energy production. It’s ok if it’s cold, cloudy, and rainy- the temperatures and the light tell your body what time of day and year it is. If you get to work before the sun rises, ask for a sunlight break. It seems more important than a smoke break and those are legally allowed! Reminder to take your sunglasses off during your intake of intentional light, naked eyes are key here. Take sunlight breaks throughout the day if your work is to be done inside, especially if it consists of screens. Personally, I use blue light blocking glasses to wear throughout the day while in front of a screen. As the sun starts to go down, be mindful with your “free” time- do you have a few minutes to be outside for sunset? Take advantage of the time of year with longer days as it makes getting extra light intake easier. Once the sun has set, comes the most challenging time for me as it is such an important time to limit artificial light, which takes some adjusting and self-discipline. We need to use this window of time to que our bodies to know it is safe to slow energy to prepare for needed rest. Start slow- replace bulbs a few at a time and decrease screen time in increments and supplement with more beneficial evening rituals. If evenings are when you thoroughly enjoy some screen time, look into some high quality amber lensed glasses (quality does matter here).

The best thing you can do is give yourself ample resources for information, do what works best for you and your lifestyle. I am a firm believer in making informed decisions for our individual health.