27/07/2025

ON SUNDAY JULY 27, 2025 theSunday Special XII

The benefits of morning light are cumulative – your body clock thrives on routine.”

screens and energy-efficient bulbs can suppress melatonin, the hormone that KHOSV UHJXODWH VOHHS PRUH H̆ HFWLYHO\ WKDQ warmer-toned light. Even as little as 8 lux (the brightness of a night light) can delay the body’s release of melatonin, pushing sleep times later. So, if you’re up at 1am, scrolling under a ring light, there’s a reason your brain feels wired and your body is exhausted. T KH VKLIW GRHVQ¶W UHTXLUH VLJQL¿FDQW changes. Consistency matters more than perfection. Aim for steady sleep and wake times, even on weekends. Circadian self care includes avoiding harsh lighting in the evening, eating meals at regular hours and resisting the late-night temptation of nasi lemak. Our metabolism, too, is guided by an internal clock; irregular meal times can disrupt digestion and energy regulation. A VXQQ\ EOHVVHG 0DOD\VLD Light therapy, already a frontline treat ment in colder countries for seasonal depression, is gaining ground even in the tropics. In areas with limited sunlight, 10,000 lux light boxes are used to simulate morning sunshine. However, in sunny Malaysia, we tend to underutilise the abundant light we already have. Indoor OLIHVW\OHV ORQJ KRXUV LQ VKDGHG Ṙ FHV DQG RYHUXVH RI DUWL¿FLDO OLJKWLQJ PDNH LW HDV\ to lose touch with daylight. One study in Nature Human Behaviour found a strong link between increased exposure to natural morning light and improved mood, memory, and sleep duration. There’s no downside – it’s free, drug-free and available nearly every day. Doctors treating insomnia or jet lag now regularly prescribe morning light therapy as part of their treatment. Simply stepping outside before 9am can shift your body clock forward, making you feel sleepy earlier. At night, keep things soft. Warm-toned bedside lamps, blackout curtains and putting away your phone an hour before bed can do more than you think. According to the Malaysia Sleep So ciety, the national average sleep time is just 6.3 hours a night, which is well below the recommended 7 to 9 hours. An overwhelming nine out of ten Malaysians UHSRUW VOHHS GL̇ FXOWLHV RIWHQ VWHPPLQJ from late nights, irregular routines and VFUHHQ H[SRVXUH )RU D FRXQWU\ EOHVVHG with consistent sunlight, that’s a missed opportunity. Ultimately, aligning your lifestyle with sunlight is less about discipline and more DERXW GHVLJQ $ PRUQLQJ FR̆ HH E\ WKH ZLQGRZ DQ DIWHUQRRQ ZDON DQG OLJKWV R̆ after dinner – these tiny tweaks can help regulate your body’s master clock. When your body knows what time it is, everything else falls into place – sleep, mood, energy and even immunity.

Live by the sun, heal by the sun

L ONG before light bulbs, we rose with the sun and slept when it set. Our ancestors weren’t romanticising wellness, they were living in sync with nature’s rhythm. Today, that rhythm is broken. We stay up late with screens, work under DUWL¿FLDO OLJKWV DQG VOHHS ZLWK EOLQNLQJ routers or ceiling lamps dimmed but QHYHU R̆ 7KH UHVXOW" )DWLJXH PRRG GLSV restless nights and in the long term, more serious health concerns. But in Malaysia, where sunrise and sun set are remarkably consistent throughout the year, there’s a natural solution hiding in plain sight: sunlight. M RGHUQ UHVHDUFK QRZ FRQ¿UPV ZKDW traditional living always knew. Exposure to natural light, especially in the morn ing, plays a powerful role in setting our

internal clock, also known as our circadian rhythm. It’s not just about waking up on time. It’s about helping the brain release the right hormones at the correct times, ensuring we sleep better, feel more alert during the day and recover faster from stress. Our circadian rhythm is governed by a cluster of neurons in the brain known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This tiny master clock syncs every system in our body, from digestion to immunity to mood regulation. The fastest way to adjust this clock is through light, especially blue-rich natural daylight that enters the eyes in the early part of the day. Even something as ordinary as drink LQJ \RXU PRUQLQJ FR̆ HH E\ D ZLQGRZ walking the dog just after sunrise or open ing the curtains wide during breakfast can send a clear signal to your brain: it’s time to start the day. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found WKDW Ṙ FH ZRUNHUV ZKR UHFHLYHG DPSOH morning light reported not only better alertness but also more restful sleep. The effect is cumulative, meaning the benefits of sunlight exposure add up over time. Regular morning light helps strengthen your sleep-wake cycle, particularly for those struggling with insomnia, mood swings or groggy morn ings. It also plays a role in regulating hormones such as cortisol and serotonin, ZKLFK D̆ HFW HQHUJ\ IRFXV DQG HPRWLRQDO EDODQFH )RU VFKRRO JRLQJ FKLOGUHQ DQG shift workers, consistent morning light may improve attention spans and reduce daytime fatigue. A UWL¿FLDO OLJKWV DUH ZUHDNLQJ KDYRF W KDW WKURZV WKLV EDODQFH R̆ " 2YHUKHDG LED lights, phone screens at midnight and late-night meals all contribute to this. According to researchers at Har vard Medical School, blue light from

Aligning your body clock with natural light may be the secret to sleep better, sharper focus and more stable moods in a hyper-lit modern world

BY MOHAN DAS

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