For months, my sleep stats have been showing low restfulness (waking up through the night), my deep sleep was at about 11% (I use an Oura Ring).

Mouth taping, breathwork before sleep, applying the 3/2/1 principle (before bed 3 hrs no food, 2 hrs no water, 1 hr no tech), supplementing (magnesium, 5HTP, Glycine), maintaining a cool room temperature, darkness ...etc etc.

Improvements were marginal until I realised there was one key piece I was missing.

It was my light.

The Wake-Up Call

While researching on circadian rhythms, I came across a podcast on Huberman saying something along the lines of..

"You don't fix your sleep at night. You fix it in the morning."

Armed with that knowledge, I re-jigged my mornings. I made it a point to get sunlight within 60-90 mins of waking up. No sunglasses, just real sunlight as I cycled to the gym.

That one shift reduced my restlessness and brought my deep sleep up to 17% which was pretty cool.

1. Sleep Starts at Sunrise

When sunlight hits your eyes, it activates light-sensitive cells that signal your brain’s master clock. That triggers a healthy cortisol pulse (your natural wake-up fuel) and starts a timer for melatonin release 14-16 hours later.

Even on an overcast day, outdoor light can reach around 10,000 lux, far brighter than indoor lighting, which rarely exceeds 2,000 lux. Step into direct sunlight, and you’re getting 30,000 to 100,000 lux.

Miss that morning light, and your brain never knows when to shut down.

2. Sunset Is Your Netflix Shield

Evening light tells your brain the day is ending.

Those orange-red tones prepare your body for rest and make it more resilient to nighttime blue light.

Catch the sunset, and your melatonin rhythm stays intact - even after a Netflix episode or doom scrolling.

3. Change Your Light, Change Your Night

My room lights were always bright white overhead lights

My brain thought it was noon.

Now I've changed key lighting fixtures to warm amber globes (soft, fire-like light), limiting the harsh overhead white light input as possible..Signaling the brain that “the sun has set.”

I felt calmer and less wired with the warm hues.

4. Darkness Is Medicine

Light at night kills melatonin. Even tiny amounts from a charger or streetlights can disrupt deep sleep.

Darkness isn’t just the absence of light; it’s a biological signal that tells your body, you’re ready and safe to rest.

5. Light Is the Conductor of Your Whole Body

Your organs each have their own internal clock. Morning and evening light sync them into harmony.

Skip it, and your biology plays out of tune ..fatigue, fog, and low focus follow.

The Shift.

I now make it an effort to start syncing with the sun.

Morning light now feels like a reset button.. for my brain, my body, and an opportunity to set intention for the day ahead.

Light isn’t background.

It’s the operating system of your biology.

Takeaways..

Currently, I’m guiding one of my clients through the same process, helping him optimize his sleep scores by reshaping his morning and evening rituals.

We’ve built in these four simple steps:

Morning: 10 minutes of sunlight within an hour of waking (no sunglasses)
Evening: 10 minutes of sunset exposure
Night: Warm, low lighting instead of harsh overheads
Sleep: Total darkness , 3/2/1 principle..no blue LEDs, no hallway glow

If you or your team want to optimize focus, sleep, and resilience through simple, science-backed breath and lifestyle tools (whether 1-on-1 or as part of a corporate health & wellbeing program), do reach out.

Your best sleep tonight starts with the light you see at dawn!

Why Your Sleep Starts with Sunrise, Not Sunset