Falling Back to Standard Time: Adjusting to Darkness and Maximizing Light
So you’ve had a few days to adjust to that extra hour of sleep.
The Bears and Wolves* among us get our annual moment to enjoy the orange glow they call sunrise, yet we all are grieving the loss of light during the evening commute or post-work dog walk. The days suddenly feel unbearably short.
As sad as it is to lose the afternoon sun, standard time is actually more aligned with our natural rhythms than daylight savings time. Unpopular take – I know!
We modern mammals love to go-go-go, and that extra evening light of daylight savings time lets us push beyond what our bodies were meant to do.
Alas, it’s time to downshift to standard time – which is exactly what our bodies need right now.
Darkness: The Nutrient You Didn’t Know You Needed
By now, you’ve probably caught on to my morning light/evening darkness obsession. I’ve long been a circadian-rhythm nerd and sleep evangelist, but a paper titled “Is Melatonin the Next Vitamin D?” ** took my fascination to the next level.
It posits something profound: just as we need sunlight to make Vitamin D, we need darkness to make melatonin.
Think about that for a second.
Vitamin D is critical for immune, nervous-system, and mitochondrial function — no surprises there. But melatonin plays many of the same roles: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune modulator, and mitochondrial protector.In short, darkness is nourishment, and could even be considered a type of “vitamin”.
Whoa.
So, if your mantra is “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” that time might come sooner than planned if you skip your daily dose of darkness!
Start with Morning Light
Ironically, darkness optimization starts the moment you wake up.
Morning light exposure sets your internal clock and determines when melatonin rises later in the day.
Step outside with your coffee (that you waited 30 minutes to drink after you drank your big glass of water!)
No sunlight? Use a full-spectrum light box for 10–20 minutes while getting ready.
Even a few minutes by a bright window helps.
Move Your Body During the Day
Whether it’s a 10-minute walk after meals, yoga, or laps around your living room — MOVE!
Daytime movement strengthens your circadian rhythm and helps regulate cortisol, so your body can rest deeply at night.
The Evening Screen Question
You guessed it: blue light from screens suppresses melatonin production.
If you must use devices within an hour of bedtime, use a night filter and/or wear blue-light-blocking glasses.
Next week we’ll explore evening optimization — including the question everyone asks: “Should I take melatonin supplements?”
(Spoiler: it’s more nuanced than you might think!)
Your Move of the Week: Greet the Light
Choose one morning light strategy and commit to it for the next seven days:
✨ Set up a light box routine in your morning space
✨ Take your coffee outside (or by a window) within an hour of waking
✨ If you’re up at sunrise, pause for 5 minutes to witness that daily miracle!
Notice how your energy and sleep shift — then report back!
IT’S TIME!
RSVP now for our next virtual Book Club Live Discussion:
Tuesday, December 9th
7:00 PM PST
https://drkrista.com/book-club/
Warmly,
Dr. Krista
* Bears and Wolves refer to your sleep chronotype. It’s good to know where you fall on the spectrum to help you understand when you are at your best and worst, during a 24-hour period, and how to support your natural sleep/wake rhythms.
https://my.sleepdoctor.com/sleep-quiz
** Minich DM, Henning M, Darley C, Fahoum M, Schuler CB, Frame J. Is Melatonin the “Next Vitamin D”?: A Review of Emerging Science, Clinical Uses, Safety, and Dietary Supplements. Nutrients. 2022 Sep 22;14(19):3934. doi: 10.3390/nu14193934. PMID: 36235587; PMCID: PMC9571539.
Olive Says:
My human keeps saying I should embrace standard time because I’m already a morning person. She’s not wrong — I’ve been waking her at 5:47 a.m. like clockwork all week.
Sunrise = FOOD.
Also, I don’t need an alarm clock or a light box. I just know. It’s called being a superior being.