Happy Friday Friends!

I hope you had a wonderful week! I’m just popping in to share one of my recent finds!

Friday Finds is a way for me to share something I feel is useful, valuable, interesting, or new that will make healthy living / practicing healthy habits easier, more effective, and / or enjoyable! For previous Friday Find posts, click here!

If you’ve spent any amount of time in the health and wellness sphere, you probably understand the importance of getting out in nature, especially getting sunlight in the early morning. Of course getting the real thing outdoors is always best, but for most of us it is either limited, or not possible due to work schedules. The artificial light that we use in our homes in workspaces actually does more harm than good. Like the light from electric devices, it can throw off our sleep / wake cycles, interfere with, hormone regulation (including our ability to make body comp improvements / lose fat), drain our energy, and negatively impact our mood. While I’m not about shortcuts or quick fixes, especially when it comes to our health and habits, there are certain things which we can do to enhance our healthy habits when we are not always able to practice them in an ideal manner. Getting sun exposure is one of these things which can be difficult. This time of year, I’ve hit pause on my morning outdoor walks because it simply too hot 🥵

After doing a lot of research on sleep improvement, one of the things that I determined would be worth investing in was a light therapy lamp. They are used for all kinds of things, mental health (even behavioral health professionals use them as part of therapeutic management!), improvement of focus and concentration, regulation of sleep / wake cycle, boosting energy, etc. My main reason for incorporating this into my morning routine is to see if I can help to regulate my sleep. I typically use it for about 30 minutes to an hour while I do my quiet time, prayer, and morning Bible reading. Many people may have heard of light therapy being used for seasonal affective disorder, but other uses are starting to become more common!

After reading this post with reviews on several brands and pricing options, I decided to get the Circadian Optics Luxy Light Therapy Lamp on Amazon! It was less than $40 and had free shipping! Also, it’s super tiny so you can take it with you when you travel—something which almost always throws off sleep! The only downside is you need a power plug, as there is no built in charger or battery, but those were features I didn’t really need. The cord is pretty long which makes it easier to find a place to plug it in and not have to worry about positioning (of course, you could also use an extension cord if it didn’t stretch as far as you needed).

Benefits of Bright Light Therapy (via Circadian Optics):

Maintains a Healthy Sleep-Wake Cycle | Light keeps your internal clock on a healthy 24-hour sleep-wake cycle, helping you feel more awake during the day and to fall asleep better at night.

Improves Mood | Using light to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm can have positive effects on your mood.

Helps Concentration | Daytime exposure to bright light can suppress melatonin levels, decrease sleepiness, increase alertness, and improve performance.

Boosts Energy | Bright light can improve alertness, fight fatigue, and reduce tiredness by stimulating the body’s natural response to light

Reader Questions:
1/ Have you heard of or tried light therapy before?
2/ Do you make it a habit to get outdoors in the morning?