Discover more from Ask Dr Devika B
Dear community,
The votes are in! We’ve chosen sleep as our first and highest priority challenge to tackle together. (If you haven’t voted yet, the poll is still open for future options!)
Sleep has been a nemesis of mine for as long as I have been an adult. Thankfully, my recovery journey with bipolar disorder has led me to discover some powerful tools for higher-quality sleep — and it’s a joy to share them here with you, one by one.
We all know that high-quality sleep is a basic need — not only to for us to function, but also to thrive. Sleep is when our bodies and brains repair and rebuild. It’s when our memories are consolidated; it’s key for healthy cognitive, immune, hormonal, and metabolic function. Getting too little of it increases risk for poor health, ranging from heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, to mental illness.
But getting enough high-quality sleep is incredibly challenging in our modern world.
There is one very simple way we can each unlock better sleep that’s within easy reach and likely overlooked by many of us. It’s free; it’s open to all, in any part of the world — even when it’s overcast or raining.
…And that’s: Sunshine! (Or more properly, ultraviolet light — present in strong doses even on cloudy days.)
Exposure to natural sunlight early in the day helps optimally set our mood, alertness, immune function, and circadian rhythms, including our sleep-wake cycle, enabling us to achieve higher-quality sleep at night.
Setting our internal circadian clocks correctly is an important facet of establishing good sleep and optimal well-being for anyone, regardless of health status.
Time outside also has bonus facets: Immersion in nature decreases blood pressure, heart rate, and inflammation, and improves cognitive function and sleep. Hearing birdsong in particular enhances well-being and can decrease anxiety, paranoia, and depression — even when artificial. So tune into that birdsong channel when you’re outside!
Here’s this week’s challenge:
Expose yourself to direct sunlight (not through a windshield or window — which filter out UV light) for at least 10-15 minutes anytime before noon. Remove sunglasses if you’re able.
If you can manage more time, all the better.
Before bed, take note of the day’s energy levels, mood, and sleepiness.
It’s also important to know that circadian disruption is an increasingly recognized facet of mood disorders. In fact, chronotherapy — use of bright light or dark therapy and sleep phase shifts — can be harnessed to treat depression and bipolar disorder. A large study among almost 87,000 adults showed that greater daytime light exposure was associated with reduced risk for major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, and self-harm behaviors.
For me, as someone living with well-managed bipolar disorder, morning sunshine has been essential to maintaining my well-being. Not only do I make sure to get it daily wherever I am — currently, I’m attending NAMI’s National Board meeting in a windowless hotel basement in Washington, DC, and I head outside during every morning break — and I also double down on it when I’m dealing with jet lag (more to come in a later post).
Here’s my morning routine: I savor my coffee outside as I contemplate plans for the day, read, or meditate on the clouds and birdsong.
You can use the time to take a walk or jog, set intentions, breathe, do emails, Zoom — anything you’d like. Consider sharing how you’re incorporating sunshine into your life — we’d all love to hear from you:
About coming weeks
Every week, we’ll try a new nudge that builds on what’s come before. As we progress through our sleep nudges, consider making notes around how much and how well you’re sleeping, how rested you feel on awakening, and your energy and mood.
This will help you figure out what changes most enhanced your sleep and well-being, and what to consider carrying forward.
Upcoming event
Stress is making our kids sick: Learn how, why, and what you can do about it: 10/17, 12-1 pm PT. Join us for a free webinar on children, stress, and health: featuring Dr Rachel Gilgoff (pediatric integrative medicine physician; stress expert), Dr Jorina Elbers (stress-responsive pediatric neurologist), and myself (pediatrician; resilience and equity-focused public health practitioner). Register here.
If you enjoyed this post, check these others out:
Daylight savings time: How DST affects our health — and ways to compensate
Do natural remedies like cranberry juice and honey really work?
Other articles from the ‘Let’s sleep better’ series:
Let’s sleep better…
Wishing you light and solid rest,
Dr Devika Bhushan
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A vibrant newsletter community by pediatrician and former Acting California Surgeon General, Dr Devika Bhushan, to share actionable and evidence-based insights for well-being — while centering lived experience, equity, and cross-cultural nuances