Evening Darkness
Did you know that exposure to even a dim amount of light before bed can have a significant negative impact on your sleep?
Why it's important
In the last lesson, we shared how important it is to get plenty of bright light in the morning. It's equally important to experience darkness in the evening before bed.
Imagine your hunter-gatherer ancestors. Without electronics to produce light in the evening, their world would naturally darken as the sun went down. This lack of sunlight was an important trigger for letting their internal clock know it was time for bed.
How we'll do this
We’re going to mimic the natural cycle of the sun going down by limiting our evening light exposure.
Going forward, you should begin to turn off the lights in the evening to naturally start winding down.
Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that your bedroom is completely dark so you can sleep free from the interference of electronic light sources.
Your single action
Sleep in complete darkness.
The easiest solution for sleeping in darkness is to buy a sleep mask. These masks are inexpensive, block out light from your eyes, and prevent light from sneaking through your eyelids. You can buy our recommended sleep mask by clicking the button below.
Starting tonight, a few hours before bed:
- Turn off most overhead lights in your house.
- Ideally, use lamps that are below eye level. Non-overhead lights help our bodies feel like we are experiencing a setting sun.
Turn your bedroom into a dark cave:
- Remove any alarm clocks with bright, digital clock-faces.
- Unplug, or cover up, any sources of light. TVs often have LED indicator lights. Cover lights like these with black tape, or remove the devices entirely.
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