How to Manipulate Light In Order to Feel More Energized

Are you looking for a way to boost your energy levels and to start feeling more lively and productive again? There are a number of different strategies you might have tried but here’s one that’s a little different: manipulating the amount of light you’re exposed to. This surprising method can actually be highly effective in helping you to feel more alert throughout the day and while it might sound strange it all makes perfect sense once you understand the science behind it…

How Light Affects Your Energy Levels

The thing to understand here is that the amount of light and type of light you’re exposed to can directly influence your energy levels. This is because our bodies use the light around us in order to ascertain what time of day it is and thus whether we should be just waking up, or winding down ready for bed. So in the evening, as the light gets slightly more infrared and sparing, our body begins to produce melatonin to get us ready to sleep.

On the other hand, in the morning our body will begin to produce more cortisol in response to the bright light that we see. This is the ‘stress hormone’ but it’s also actually a very useful substance when it comes to feeling alert and ‘switched on’.

How to Manipulate Light and Energy

Unfortunately though, these days we generally aren’t exposed to the right amount or type of light at the right times. Computer screens you see create light of a similar wavelength to the sun which makes us feel awake when we should be just falling asleep. Then, in the morning when we’re supposed to wake up, the fact that we’re indoors means we aren’t bathed in that revitalizing and rejuvenating sunlight.

So what can you do?

One option is to invest in a daylight lamp/alarm clock. These include devices like the Lumie products, which work by emitting a light that is a similar wavelength to that produced by the sun. These get gradually brighter in the morning meaning that as far as your body is concerned, it’s like waking up to a gradual sunrise.

Meanwhile, in the evenings you should make sure to block out all external light in your rooms and this goes absolutely doubly for any LED lights. Better yet, if you decide to play computer games or watch TV in the evenings, try throwing on some ‘blue blocking’ shades that will block out the cortisol-triggering blue light from the spectrum!

These simple tricks can have a very big difference on your energy levels, so give them a try!