The Science of Circadian Rhythm: How to Reset Your Body Naturally

Feeling Tired, Moody, or “Off”?

Your Circadian Rhythm Might Be the Missing Piece

Do you wake up already tired? Struggle to fall asleep at night even when you're exhausted? Feel foggy, moody, or anxious for no obvious reason?

Maybe your child has trouble falling asleep, seems wired at bedtime, or has wild mood swings during the day. Maybe you're doing “all the right things” but still feel like something’s off.

What if I told you the answer might not be more supplements, more caffeine, or another sleep training method—but instead, something as simple as the sun?

You read that right. Your body—and your children’s bodies—were designed to live in sync with the sun. And when we get out of sync with that natural rhythm, everything else starts to unravel.

What Is the Circadian Rhythm?

The circadian rhythm is your body’s internal 24-hour clock. It regulates nearly every system in your body:

• Sleep-wake cycle

• Hormones

• Immune response

• Digestive function

• Energy production

• Mood and mental clarity

It’s called “circadian” from the Latin circa (“around”) and diem (“day”). This internal clock cycles approximately every 24 hours and is governed by signals like light, darkness, temperature, eating patterns, and even movement.

At the center of this rhythm is your suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a group of neurons in your brain's hypothalamus.

The SCN is like the conductor of your body’s biological orchestra, telling your body what time it is and how to behave accordingly.

But here's the key: the SCN takes its cues from light, especially natural sunlight. Which means your rhythm only functions properly if you're regularly exposed to light at the right times.

The Role of Morning Sunlight: Why Timing Matters

Our bodies were made to respond to natural light cues, with bright, blue-toned light in the morning triggering alertness, and warmer, dimmer light in the evening signaling rest.

When you go outside in the morning (within the first 30–60 minutes of waking) and get at least 10–15 minutes of sunlight (without sunglasses or a window blocking the rays), a series of incredible biological reactions are triggered:

1. Cortisol Gets a Healthy Boost

Cortisol is your “get-up-and-go” hormone, not just the “stress hormone”. It's supposed to be highest in the morning, giving you energy and helping regulate inflammation, blood sugar, and alertness.

Morning light helps you produce the right cortisol spike at the right time, which improves energy throughout the day and helps you avoid the unhealthy, stress-induced cortisol surges at night.

2. Melatonin Gets Suppressed (That’s a Good Thing in the Morning!)

Melatonin is your body’s sleep hormone. It should be low during the day and high at night. Morning sunlight helps suppress melatonin at the right time, which sets the stage for your body to produce melatonin naturally later in the evening.

Many people struggle with low melatonin at night because their daytime light exposure is too low and their night-time artificial light exposure is too high.

3. Serotonin and Dopamine Get a Boost

Morning sun exposure increases serotonin, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter that supports mood, memory, and calm. Serotonin is also the precursor to melatonin, so without enough serotonin during the day, your body can’t make the melatonin you need at night.

Exposure to morning light also helps increase dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to motivation, focus, and reward. Low dopamine is often connected to brain fog, depression, or lack of drive.

Real Health Benefits of Morning Sunlight

This isn’t just feel-good theory - it’s backed by scientific research. Morning sunlight is one of the most powerful free tools for improving:

✅ Sleep Quality

• Helps you fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply

• Resets delayed or irregular sleep-wake cycles (helpful for shift workers, postpartum moms, or kids with irregular bedtimes)

• Reduces need for melatonin supplements by increasing your body’s natural production

✅ Mood and Mental Health

• Shown to reduce depression and anxiety, especially in seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

• Improves emotional regulation in both kids and adults

• Helps decrease cortisol dysregulation, reducing panic, overwhelm, and adrenal fatigue

✅ Hormonal Balance

• Supports healthy cortisol, melatonin, insulin, and thyroid rhythms

• Essential for menstrual and fertility health

• Helps regulate leptin and ghrelin (your hunger hormones), which may aid in weight balance

✅ Immune Function

• Melatonin isn’t just for sleep. It’s also a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that helps regulate immune response and even protect against abnormal cell growth

• Circadian alignment is linked to lower rates of autoimmune issues, inflammation, and chronic disease

Why This Matters So Much for Kids

Children, especially babies and toddlers, are still developing their circadian rhythms. And that development is heavily influenced by light.

Morning sun exposure helps:

• Regulate nap schedules and bedtime meltdowns

• Improve mood and focus in school-aged kids

• Support immune system maturity

• Reduce hyperactivity and improve emotional regulation

Letting your kids play outside first thing in the morning (even for 10–15 minutes!) can do wonders for their rhythm, sleep quality, and even behavior throughout the day.

The Other Half of the Rhythm: Minimizing Nighttime Light

Just as morning light is essential, darkness at night is equally important.

After sunset, artificial light (especially blue light from screens and LEDs) can block melatonin production by up to 80%. This not only disrupts sleep but may increase risks related to long-term inflammation, insulin resistance, and even cancer.

Melatonin is a powerful anti-cancer hormone, antioxidant, and immune modulator. Protecting its natural rise is about more than just sleep - it's about protecting your long-term health.

Tips to Support Melatonin at Night:

• Dim the lights after 7–8pm

• Avoid screen use for at least 60–90 minutes before bed

• Use amber or red lights in bedrooms and bathrooms

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• Try blue-light blocking glasses if screens are unavoidable

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• Embrace a calm nighttime routine

A Daily Rhythm Reset - Made Simple

Here’s what a gentle circadian-supporting day might look like:

🌞 Morning:

• Get outside within an hour of waking (even if it’s cloudy!)

• Avoid sunglasses and let light hit your eyes (not directly looking at the sun!)

• Move your body: take a short walk, stretch, or play outside with your kids

• Bonus: eat your first meal around the same time each day to anchor your metabolic rhythm

🌤 Midday:

• Step outside again for a second dose of sunlight. This helps regulate afternoon energy

• Open the windows and let in fresh air and natural light as much as possible

🌙 Evening:

• Begin to dim the lights after sunset

• Avoid screens or use night filters/glasses

• Set the mood for sleep: warm baths, lavender oil, magnesium lotion or spray, calming books or devotionals

• Go to bed around the same time each night to help your rhythm stay strong

  
  

You Were Made for Light

God created light on the very first day for a reason. He wired us to wake with the sun, to rest in the dark, and to live in rhythm with creation.

Your body isn’t broken, it might just be out of sync. And the beautiful thing is, realignment doesn’t require perfection or expensive products. Just a little bit of intentional sunlight and natural rhythm.

This is your invitation to step outside. To breathe in the morning air. To guide your children back to a rhythm that heals and restores.

Because the best medicine might just be the one that shines down on us every single morning.

Link to Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKj5R14xAoS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==