The power of light to boost health, improve sleep and longevity

The Light Doctor by Dr Moore-Ede MD PhD comes with a warning about harmful electric lights being sold to us and provides solutions including healthy and affordable alternatives that I was not aware of. Apart from buying old light bulbs which are far less harmful than modern lights which are promoted with misleading information, there are plenty of things we can do to ensure we get the light we need to stay healthy.

Many of us who are on a journey of discovery to understand how we can best look after ourselves in harmony with the natural world, are aware of the importance of getting enough natural light. Many of us know the best way to wake up in the morning is in the red light of dawn, and the best way to get a good night's sleep is to take in the red light of dusk.

This kind of living with Nature utopia (for me at least) is difficult to achieve when we are forced to live according to an unnatural Gregorian timetable using light bulbs and screens manufactured to emit high-energy blue light that makes it almost impossible to live by your own natural clock and Mother Nature's natural rhythm.

There are things we can do to improve this situation and the first step is to understand the difference artificial and natural light, our relationship with light and why our body needs it to carry out many essential functions. The starting point is to understand which kind of lighting is bad for us (at what time of day) and which kind is good for us (and when).

The Light Doctor explains these things and provides solutions to help create more beneficial lighting situations inside during the day and night - whilst encouraging us to go outside more to take in as much natural light as possible for our good health and wellbeing - something we talk a lot about here on Spiral Leaf.

Circadian rhythm

The word circadian comes from the Latin circa, meaning around, and dies, meaning day. It describes biological processes that recur naturally on a twenty-four hour cycle, even in the absence of light fluctuations.

For many Indigenous peoples, the circadian rhythm is not thought of as a biological mechanism for sleep, rather a holistic, culturally and generationally internalised way of living in harmony with Nature's natural cycles. It represents an intimate connection to the land and the environment, where solar, lunar, planetary and seasons guide every activity and social interaction for the wellbeing of the community. 

The Light Doctor provides the science behind our interaction with light, providing us with an understanding of how we process light and use it for essential functions in the body that keep us healthy. It is based on years of research carried out by the Circadian Light Research Centre, founded by Dr Moore-Ede MD PhD, where they identified a narrow band of blue wavelengths in light responsible for synchronising our circadian rhythms during the day but harming our health at night.

It turns out that virtually every cell in our body has its own circadian clock, and these are coordinated by a master pacemaker located in the primitive part of the brain where most of our automated no thought needed systems are found. He says: as long as we lived in the natural 24-hour world order of regular dawns and dusks with bright sunight followed by dim moonlight or stalight, all these millions of clocks operated in harmonic synchrony.'

It sounds like just the kind of world order I would be happy to live with.

Natural light

Dr Moore-Ede's extensive research and development in the field of healthy circadian lighting, led to the design and production of lights that deliver circadian blue-rich light during the day and circadian blue-depleted light at night. Dr Moore-Ede expresses his concern that most people still don't know about the healthy lights and display screens that are now available. And they don't know which blue-blocking glasses are effective and which are merely a placebo.

The concerning problem is that electric light is the tobacco of breast and prostrate cancer. Working all day under bright lights, especially on night shifts, or sleeping with the light on, causes circadian disruption which is linked to many illnesses, metabolic diseases and sleep distruption. This is because light at night is known to suppress the production of the pineal hormone, melatonin, and second, melatonin has powerful effects in suppressing the growth of cancer tumours.

Many of us spend the majority of our time working indoors in a constant twilight of electric light that is typically 1,000 dimmer during the day than natural sunlight and 1,000 times brighter after dusk than even the brightest moonlight.

A research project found that campers who are exposed to much brighter outdoor light levels throughout the day, and with an absence of electric light at night, they all synchronised to the same natural day-night cycle. Living without electric light or devices enables our bodies to remove harmful electricity and helps us to tune into Nature's nourishing natural rhythm.

Healthy light

We all know that the best possible light is Nature's daylight, sunlight and sunshine. Soft natural light and warmth on our skin feels good for a reason. It's good for us and replenishes us. As long as we are sensible to not allow ourselves to burn on a hot sunny day, the more natural daylight we can absorb the better.

Remember that in the old days, fresh air was and sunlight considered an essential part of the healing process. Patients with tuberculosis (TB) were treated in open-air sanatoriums, where fresh air and sunshine were considered essential as most recovered by spending most of the day in fresh air and sunlight. A practice known as heliotherapy.

Ideally, the lights in our homes should be able to dynamically adjust according to the time of day. If this is not an option, Dr Moore-Ede suggests that we choose different lights for different rooms in our homes, depending on the time of day they are occupied. It is also advised to sleep in complete darkness to enable your body's repair and immune processes to be fully effective.

Dynamic carcadian lights are now being introduced to the market that offer the validated spectral recipes required for healthy day, evening and night lighting. which is well worth researching when you understand the concepts detailed in The Light Doctor. We can also make other necessary adjustments to enjoy more daylight and Nature's most beautiful gifts of dawn every morning and dusk every night.

Sleep tight

My favourite advice which provides a reminder that even I need to remove myself from my desk for a 15-20 minute stroll in the garden or a walk round the block to get my body moving. I look up to the sky and wish I could stay outside all day - we love being outside for a reason - it's so healthy and good for us.

Dr Moore-Ede tells us that at a regular time each day, especially in the mornings, and being exposed to natural daylight, is well established as an effective way to keep our circadian rhythms firmly synchronised. Our circadiam rhythms are the most robust when they are tightly synchronised to the natural day-night cycle.

When this is the case, sleep during the night is restorative, mood is improved, alertness and cognitive performance are enhanced, and the immune system's capability to ward off disease is strongest. There are no better reasons to wake up early to greet the dawn or to take time to relax and gaze at a sunset glowing in the sky at the end of a busy day.

It is important to make sure your external lights are as wildlife-friendly as possible as many nocturnal species use the Moon and Stars to navigate and find food. Outside lights are often much brighter than moonlight, introducing an unnatural spectra into the nocturnal landscape.

I hope you enjoy recalibrating your carcadian rhythm by any means possible to enjoy more vitality during the day and a good night's sleep.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf

Buy a book!

All the following books have helped in some way, and at different times, to cleanse, heal and discover the perfect organic diet to suit my taste, energy needs and lifestyle.

The Light Doctor   by Dr Martin Moore-Ede - link to Waterstones (no affiliation)

Healing With Iodine by Dr Mark Sircus - link to ABe books (no affiliation)

[Cu]re Your Fatigue by Morley M Robbins

Nourishing Traditions by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon

The Salt Fix   by Dr James DiNicolantonio

Human Heart, Cosmic Heart by Thomas Cowan

Everyday Āyurveda by Bhaswati Bhattacharya

Cleanse to Heal   by Anthony William

Clicking on the above links will take you to my online bookshop where Spiral Leaf may earn a small commission on books sold at no extra cost to you - unless otherwise stated.