Mother Nature’s Sleep Prescription

Sleep is an essential function that helps to restore body and mind, encouraging learning, better mental health, faster growth, healing, and recovery. We caught up with Hypnos’ resident sleep and wellbeing expert, Natalie Pennicotte-Collier, to shed light on how we can use mother nature to ensure we get the best night’s sleep.

Go outside to watch the morning sunrise

This is a great sleep reset tip if you are wanting to wake up early! This will anchor your internal clock and ensure you have a healthy circadian rhythm, which will improve sleep quality and duration. Sleep research suggests that it’s critical to give our mind and body regular cues that signal to the brain when it’s time to wake up or rest. Over time, those cues will begin to trigger an automatic response in your sleep-wake cycle.

Natural Daylight

Natural light during the day is responsible for energy and motivation and also for improving sleep quality at night. Natural daylight signals our brain to produce serotonin to help wake us up, which when light levels decrease (and the absence of blue light), converts into melatonin, a natural sleep hormone. So, if you don’t get enough sunlight each day, your serotonin levels won’t reach optimal levels, which in turn results in diminished levels of melatonin at night. Studies show that light is vital to establishing consistent, healthy circadian rhythms. Morning light can increase alertness and be a pretty effective antidepressant.

Take “Nature Breaks”

Regroup and refresh your mind taking a walk outside. While you’re there, tune in to the sights, sounds, scents, and other sensory experiences. The more breaks you can take and go into nature, the better for your sleep wellbeing. When you’re back home, if you can’t fit a walk into your work schedule, consider setting your home office up near a window. The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine study showed that people exposed to more sunlight during the workday enjoyed a higher overall sleep quality than people in windowless work environments.

Sleep is an essential function that helps to restore body and mind

Daytime Exercise

Even better in natural daylight and a green/blue space, movement is a natural sleep aid. It stimulates the production of serotonin which helps the body to adjust, resulting in fewer sleep challenges and reduced tiredness. Exercising not only promotes the release of energy but also enhances the body’s ability to enter deep sleep stages. Exercise outdoors if you can, as the light helps to reset the body’s circadian rhythm. Everyone wants a good night’s sleep, and by being a bit more active during the day, this can be an easily achievable sleep aid for many of us. Combining fresh air, physical exertion, and exposure to nature’s beauty creates a holistic approach to sleep improvement.

Watch The Sunset

As well as being a relaxing way to finish your day, it’s good to remember that the light wavelengths that the sun emits at sunset signals to our brains that it’s time to start winding down and get ready for sleep. Again, it’s all about supporting your body’s circadian rhythm so it produces melatonin at the right time helping to prepare for regular great sleep.

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