Sleeping well: why spending time in natural light helps you to sleep better. 

Setting off from home on Wednesday for an early morning meeting, I really noticed the changing of the seasons. There was dew on my car, the air smelt crisp and the sunlight was of a different quality. It was a beautiful morning, heralding the Autumn.

Many of us had the time and the inclination to enjoy being outside over the summer.  As the days shorten and we return to work, we naturally spend more time indoors.  Lack of natural daylight, however, is not good for us.

Fascinating research by Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at the ­University of Oxford, shows how important it is for us to maximise our exposure to natural light over the winter months.  Humans, like most animals, have an internal body clock that is governed by the 24 hour cycle of night and day.  This Circadian cycle affects the functioning of many body systems, such as the immune and digestive systems. It also regulates brain activity, including readiness to sleep, and is involved in cognitive functioning and mental health.  Did you know, for example, that some drugs are more effective if administered at a certain time of day? Or that 12 noon is the best time for a rational argument when your verbal reasoning skills peak? And, that for people experiencing depression, afternoon is the hardest time?

In the winter, many of us get up and travel to work in the dark, spend all day in artificial light and return home in the dark. This lack of exposure to natural light means that our internal clock can drift out of rhythm with the external world, leading to less than optimal functioning of a wide range of physiological processes, including our ability to sleep well.

So, to keep healthy and ensure that you maintain good sleeping patterns in the autumn and winter months, it’s vital that you spend time outside each day around noon when light levels are at their highest. Even if it’s a cloudy day.

I wonder how many of you plan this into your working week? Does your workplace encourage this?