Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Good Morning, Sunshine


Image result for colorado sunriseAfter last week's trial of sleep semi-deprivation, I thought it might be nice to do something to help me get back in my normal routine, a.k.a The Routine of the Failed Night Owl. I read somewhere that regular exposure to morning sunlight plays an important part in establishing a good circadian rhythm, which seemed like a good place to start. Plus, it sounded like a lovely way to begin the day.
Two of the most important byproducts of sunlight exposure are melatonin and Vitamin D, which support and regulate all kinds of physiological functions, but apparently our bodies also release some bonus endorphins. Yeah, sign me up for that good stuff first thing in the morning. 


Although some recommendations call for 30-45 minutes of morning sunlight, a general suggestion for a pale person such is myself is fifteen minutes of exposure between the hours of eight and ten. Unfortunately, I, like many people, am at work then, so my sun time during the week was 7:15-7:30.

The first morning, I was pretty excited to bask for a while before starting my day. But the sun didn't cooperate. (Actually the sun rose as it normally did; it was the cloud cover that messed things up.) Ditto the second day. The third was a little bit better, but honestly, I'd never noticed how many clouds hang around in the morning. So inconvenient.

In fact, of the seven mornings in the week, I only had solid sun exposure on three of them, which overall was a disappointment. It was nice to eat breakfast outside, though. (So nice that I almost made myself late a few times.) I didn't notice a difference in how alert I felt in the morning or how tired I felt at night, and I assume it's because I didn't get enough regular sun to have an effect.

As much as I wanted this morning sun exposure to be a Take It, it didn't work out as well as I hoped. And as the days get shorter, it will be nearly impossible. So this one is a regretful Leave It.

I hope the sun brightens your day today, whatever time you're out. See you next week!


Image result for sunrise comic

2 comments:

  1. As we're in winter, I love having the sun out. Days without sun are gloomy and cold. I don't mind if it's raining (we never have enough rain - we're a dry continent), but otherwise give me sunny skies.

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    1. I don't think I could make it through the winter without sunshine! Thankfully, we usually get plenty of it, even if it is very cold outside.

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