Well With Samantha | Samantha Fiero

Why Looking at Morning Light for 5 Minutes Can Improve Your Sleep

Something I’ve started paying attention to in my own routine is how different my sleep feels when I get outside early in the day, even for just a few minutes. It seems small, but it turns out this habit has a real biological impact.

Exposure to natural light in the morning helps regulate your circadian rhythm, the internal clock that tells your body when to feel alert and when to wind down. Research has shown that getting 5–10 minutes of outdoor light shortly after waking helps signal to the brain when the day begins, which supports melatonin production later at night—the hormone that helps you fall asleep.

Try this:

Before checking your phone in the morning, step outside for a few minutes of natural light. You don’t need a long walk, even standing outside with your coffee or taking a short walk around the block can help reset your internal clock for the day.

Sometimes the smallest habits end up supporting our wellbeing the most.