Morning light a must for health - 7th March 2022

Morning light is crucial for our good health, scientists have found. "Sunlight is powerful stuff," asserts Professor Steve Jones, a geneticist at the Human Genetics Department, University College London.

Morning light can help regulate sleep patterns, but to experience the maximum benefits, it's vital to get out early in the daytime. In winter this poses challenges, but even 20 minutes per day can positively impact health.

"Every aspect of how we function is controlled by light," states Aarti Jagannath. According to the University of Oxford clinical neuroscientist, lack of sunlight can increase instances of depression and digestive problems, due to the disruptions of our body or 'circadian' clock.

A circadian cycle is a natural, internal process that regulates patterns of sleeping and waking every 24 hours and is set every morning at daybreak. Overdependence on artificial light sources can create problems since our bodies receive misleading time signals. As a result, we can feel more alert at nighttime or more depressed during the day.

Working night shifts can profoundly impact the way the body regulates itself. In Britain, over three million people work nights and 97 percent never successfully adjust their sleep cycles. Jagannath explains this leads to a greater occurrence of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. That's why the World Health Organisation considers shift work to be a serious health threat.

Large numbers of people in Britain seldom step out into the open air, with many outside for less than half an hour each day. Jones comments that "it's no good staying inside and looking at the sun and saying this is doing me good, because it isn't."

"The amount of sunlight we're getting has gone down dramatically in the last 20 years," reports Jones, who offers some simple medical advice: "When the sun comes out, go out."