You want more energy and clearer thinking. One of the practices I use is going outside first thing in the morning. I combine it with grounding, and my outside cat, Cowboy, usually climbs into my lap for attention.

Prefer to Listen?

Subscribe:

Health with Hashimoto’s is your free weekly podcast that sorts this autoimmune condition into thyroid or immune. Each episode is for informational and educational purposes. Please discuss any questions or concerns with your trusted healthcare professional. Some links may be affiliate links, marked as such, at no extra cost to you.

How morning sun exposure signals your daily rhythm

Early morning light signals your brain to stop making melatonin, your sleep hormone. It also helps signal the morning rise in cortisol.

With ongoing stress, cortisol can stay elevated. We want to get it regulated.

But we do need some cortisol first thing in the morning.

We are cyclical creatures. Every 24 hours, your body follows a rhythm. Cortisol helps you wake up. Melatonin helps you sleep. That daily wake-and-sleep pattern is your circadian rhythm.

Getting outside into the early morning light helps signal that cycle. You want cortisol to rise at the right time, then melatonin to rise later when it’s time to sleep.

The connection to mood, energy, and brain fog

Morning light also supports serotonin production, which helps your mood. That matters with Hashimoto’s because low thyroid hormone levels can increase your risk of depression.

Shorter winter days can affect your mood, too. With seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, that seasonal change is especially noticeable. And you have a smaller window to get morning sunlight.

That morning rise in cortisol also helps you wake up and may help with Hashimoto’s fatigue.

And fatigue isn’t only something you feel in your body. You can feel it in your thinking, too.

Early morning sunlight may help reduce brain fog. Part of that is connected to your circadian rhythm, serotonin, and cortisol.

Why morning light matters for nighttime sleep

Morning light tells your body to stop making melatonin. It also helps set the rhythm for making melatonin later.

When your body gets that morning signal, it helps establish the daily cycle that includes sleep at night. Supporting that rhythm may help you get more restorative sleep.

Your body does a lot of work while you’re sleeping. It’s a time for restoration and growth. We all need that, including younger people with Hashimoto’s who still have growing to do.

Improving sleep can start with one simple change.

Does early morning sunlight help you make vitamin D?

Your body can make vitamin D with sunlight exposure. But you’re not going to make much from early morning light. That happens more when the sun is higher in the sky.

Getting outside first thing in the morning

Try to get outside within about 20–30 minutes of waking up.

That is how soon to get outside, not a set amount of time you need to stay there.

I like combining morning light with grounding, which means being in direct contact with the ground (see episode #152.) Cowboy comes over, climbs into my lap, and purrs. He is very happy to get some attention while I’m out there.

Morning sunlight and grounding are both free. That’s one thing I love about this combination.

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. Please discuss changes with your trusted healthcare provider.

Try making time to step outside when you wake up. For help turning small practices into regular habits, explore the Simple Habits Program.