5 Ways to Control Light Exposure and Increase Your Energy
Superman drew his power from the yellow sun. On Kryton, he was just another Kryptonian, with no relative advantage over any other Kryptonian. But Earth's yellow sun, this was truly powerful, an energy source that worked through him. And this is inherently true; the yellow sun is a great ball of energy which we can feed off as well.
As we get deeper into winter, the days above the 49th parallel start close to 8am and end at 4pm. Every winter, the lack of sunlight turns people into zombies. Luckily the holidays give us a chance to recover and feed off each other's cheer. Nevertheless, the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) that leaves many sad, depressed and lethargic can be mitigated with a few simple methods:
1. Go to sleep earlier. This one applies all year, however in the winter, you expose yourself to artifical light for a longer duration after the sun has set. This has some negative effects on your health.
2. Decrease your blue light exposure. Electronics and LED lights give off blue light, which has drastic effects on your melatonin production, effectively frying your pineal gland. TV, computer and late night texting should be avoided.
3. Download F.lux on all your devices. I understand that decreasing your use of electronics is probably something that is very difficult, so I propose using F.lux on your phone, tablet and computer. It blocks the blue light and only allows it in at varying intensities, depending on what time of day it is and what latitude you reside at.
4. Get your tan on. If you are fortunate enough to see some sun during the day, show a little skin and get that light in. Now your goal will not be to get bronzed. Think exposure to light. Please don't take this too far and sit outside buck naked at -20C just to get a bit more sunlight. Hypothermia poses more of an immediate threat than SAD.
5. Indulge early. Just like with caffeine and sugar, if you're going to be taking in the artificial light, get it in early. The later you expose yourself to alcohol, caffeine or sugar, the more you will negatively affect your sleep.
