Sunshine can be helpful to those who suffer from difficulty sleeping. It can help to regulate the patterns of sleep and wakefulness. If you are struggling to sleep well at night, especially with insomnia or a circadian rhythm disorder, regular exposure to morning sunlight may well improve your sleep and daytime functioning. Sunlight filtered through a window pane may not have the same effect so an early morning walk may be more suitable. If you are concerned about the effects on your skin, you can wear sunscreen and still reap the benefit of the additional Vitamin D exposure.

Light boxes are also used to treat seasonal affective disorder and circadian rhythm disorders. It is important to work with your sleep practitioner though, because the timing of light exposure is very important. If you time it wrong, you could increase insomnia. There are also some conditions that could be worsened by light box therapy.

SLEEP * WAKE * HEALTH