LIGHT WALKING: MORNING RITUALS FOR BETTER NIGHTS
At the end of last year, I noticed one of the wellness trends for 2020 would be: Sleep Positivity
Basically … giving sleep its rightful position as the most important part of the day.
Sounds weird, right!? Well, did you know that humans are the ONLY animals that intentionally delay sleep. Never in the history of ever has a fox thought he should finish up his work before turning in for the night … or has a rabbit longed to finish the last 20 minutes of an episode before shutting it off for bed.
People do it all the time.
Sleep doesn’t need an introduction. We all do it, or at least wish we did when we don’t. We can go a couple weeks without food … a good few days without water … but miss just one night of sleep and good luck the next day. Sleep is important! It’s not only when we rest … it’s when we reset / renew / rejuvenate. We heal there … we process our thoughts there … it’s important stuff.
On average adults need about 7-9 hours of sleep each day. I once heard a researcher say that he’s never worried about the folks that get 4 hours each night - they know they’re sleep deprived. His concern was for people getting 6 hours of daily sleep - they think it’s enough - statistically it’s just not healthy.
HERE’S THE DEAL … A GOOD NIGHT OF SLEEP STARTS IN THE MORNING!
Yup, the first light you intake in the morning helps to determine how well you’ll fall asleep that night.
Your body is a highly sensitive system that is designed to interpret and adapt to its environment. In our skin we have melanocyte cells that read and interpret the type of light we are being exposed to. We have the same cells in our eyes. These cells know the difference between natural and artificial light … red and blue light waves … and how to respond to these inputs.
For our conversation today, let’s focus on how morning sunlight increases the neurotransmitter serotonin within the body. Serotonin is found mostly in our gastrointestinal tract and our central nervous system, but it’s also present in our skin. The precursor to serotonin is tryptophan (the chemical that notoriously makes you sleepy when you eat too much turkey - although tryptophan is also found in milk, bananas, pineapples, and plums). Our body converts the tryptophan into serotonin … greatly influenced by how much light we receive each day. In darkness that serotonin goes through a process in the pineal gland and is converted into … melatonin … or what we might call nature’s night-night drug. (Melatonin is also a vital anti-inflammatory and counters inflection, cancer, and auto-immune diseases)
So, getting some morning sunlight creates serotonin which later becomes melatonin. I guess the full process might read: eat a banana … go outside in the morning … fall asleep in bed that night … easier.
According to experts your best bet is to get in that light within in one hour of waking up. Sun yourself for a good thirty minutes daily (not through glass, sunglasses included, as it blocks the spectrums needed for the processes to occur) … and try to expose some skin to the sun too!
The easiest way to get in that morning light? A short morning walk!
Most of us simply don’t do enough walking. Maybe one day I’ll write a bunch of words on my thoughts there … but for now …
Exposure to movement in the morning helps to reset our circadian rhythms, or the natural clock inside of each of us that retells us when to rise / eat / sleep / repeat. Moving in the morning tells your body to come out of rest state and into active state. The good news (for those of us less inclined to love morning workouts) is that your morning movement session doesn’t have to be a HUGE exercise routine. In the summer I consider watering and piddling around in the garden my version of “morning movement.” I also try to add in a morning walk.
Starting your day with movement (big or small) tells your body it’s time to wake up! Then when you go to bed that night your body understands better that it’s time to quiet down.
So, every morning I make it a goal to wake up … and get outside … to move.
Not because I’m worried about getting my steps in, or because there won’t be enough time later, or I “have to,” … but because I’m following a wellness trend I can actually get behind … Sleep Positivity in 2020!
HOMEWORK: And since you’re outside walking around anyway …
Why not do a little meditating!? My morning walk is routinely one mile long - it’s what I make time for before work. Lately I’ve been adding in the following walking meditation to get my mind on board with the day.
Counting my first 1,000 steps (counting mediations are an easy entry point into mindfulness, and ALWAYS worth revisiting if you’ve strayed away from them. This gets me roughly 1/2 way through the walk)
Next 1/4 mile is about objectively intaking my surroundings. Can I see a new tree today? Notice birds? See the distant mountains? Hear a car driving behind me? Smell the blossoms? Without judgement.
Last 1/4 mile is me sensing my Self. Can I notice my feet? Is one heavier than the other? How tall do I feel? Are my ribs and shoulders moving?
The last 100 steps I give to putting it all together … can I count … while noticing my world … and sensing my Self?
Each day my experience with this meditation is different. Sometimes my 1,000 steps take me a little less or more further. Sometimes I forget to count!? It’s easy for me to objectively notice things in the world, but this is where I experience the greatest distractions. Historically the most settled of the meditations for me is the noticing of Self, but I’ve been practicing Somatic Meditation for years. Each day is different … and the goal for me is to get outdoors / moving / and a little more aware of the day and my Self.
~ james CRADER
