Why You Should Find Excuses to Get Outside, Even If It’s Cloudy
Jan 05, 2022
Where I live, the weather can change on a dime. A beautiful sunny morning can quickly turn foggy and humid, then rainy, cool, and dreary.
It is easy to assume those are the days you should stay inside.
But even when the weather is not ideal and the sun is hidden behind the clouds, you are still far better off being outdoors than sitting under artificial light.
Natural Light Does More Than Brighten Your Day
Stepping outside, especially in the morning, gives your brain an incredible boost.
Morning UVA light helps convert tryptophan into serotonin and tyrosine and phenylalanine into dopamine. These brain chemicals help you feel happier, more focused, and more energized as you begin your day.
Morning light also cleaves a molecule called POMC, which plays an important role in regulating appetite, immune function, lipolysis (fat burning), and many other biological processes.
Clouds do not stop your body from receiving these signals.
Your Body Is Constantly Reading the Environment
One of the remarkable things about natural light is that it is always changing.
Minute by minute, the blend of light frequencies shifts. Although you do not consciously perceive these subtle changes, the light receptors in your eyes and on your skin do.
Based on that changing blend of "colors," they signal the exact time of day to your suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master clock in your brain. The SCN then organizes and coordinates which cellular tasks should be performed throughout the day.
Artificial lighting cannot do this.
Not only does indoor lighting have a very unnatural spectrum compared to sunlight, but it also never changes. Your body relies on those constantly changing light frequencies to know what time it is and what it should be doing.
What Happens When Those Signals Are Missing?
Imagine a busy airport without an air traffic control tower.
Instead of being directed when to land, taxi, or take off, every pilot would be left to make those decisions independently. It would be complete chaos.
The same thing happens inside your body.
Without the changing frequencies of full-spectrum natural light, regardless of whether it is sunny or cloudy, your biology becomes increasingly chaotic.
At the cellular level:
- Chaos = inflammation
- Inflammation = lost electrons
- Lost electrons = cellular dysfunction
Get Outside Anyway
Do not let cloudy skies keep you indoors.
Whether the sun is shining brightly or hidden behind the clouds, your body is still gathering critical information from the outdoor light environment. Every minute outside helps strengthen your circadian rhythm and provides signals that artificial lighting simply cannot replicate.
Find excuses to get outside whenever possible.
Check out my “Daily Sunlight Protocol” if you find it helpful.
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