Daylight & Vitamin D may be just the ticket to relieve your insomnia and improve your sleep habits.
From the ABZzz's of Sleeping Insomnia Free, this article focuses on the alphabet 'D'.
Roll out of bed and get some daylight! And hopefully, there's some sun included in this daylight exposure.
Getting at least a ½ hour of daylight sunshine is one of the best ways to balance your circadian rhythm, keep you in sync and help you improve your sleep.
An early morning walk, jog or bike ride not only is good for your health but also has positive sleep side benefits.
What is the connection between daylight and your nightly sleep? Evidence shows that exposing yourself to bright natural light early in the morning is one of the best motivators for feeling great, having a good day, and assisting the natural onset of sleep in the evening.
Not only this, exposure to sunlight provides you with an extremely essential vitamin - Vitamin D.
Additionally, your natural hormone, melatonin, increases at night, which helps you sleep, and in the early morning hours, the melatonin levels start to drop.
One of the best ways to ensure this drop and to set yourself on a good footing for daytime activity is to exposure yourself to bright daylight as soon as you can in the morning.
So, the bottom line is - let there be light! - particularly in the early daytime.
Sneak in some sunshine whenever you can.
It really lifts your spirits, boosts your energy levels, increases your productivity, improves your frame of mind, and helps to improve your sleep.
Another dramatic benefit of obtaining daylight sunshine is receiving and absorbing Vitamin D.
Millions suffer from sleep challenges and this can be caused by stress, fear, excess caffeine, anxiety, over-stimulation and the inability to relax.
But for some, insomnia can often be caused by something as innocuous as lack of Vitamin D.
There is no need to suffer sleeplessness when a simple blood test can indicate your Vitamin D level and whether you need supplementation or not.
Of course, the best way to obtain your required amount of Vitamin D is through daylight sun exposure.
It is recommended that fair skinned people get 15 minutes of direct exposure, and dark skinned people get about 40 minutes of direct sunlight daily.
But if you live in the northern regions particularly during winter, supplementation can be easy to do.
Take a vitamin D3 supplement of 1000-2000 IU daily.
In addition, consider adding in a diet rich in oily fish, broccoli, spinach, fruits and fortified milk.
What role does Vitamin D play in our bodies? Vitamin D is key in allowing minerals to absorb properly and metabolize in the body.
It also regulates normal cell growth function and promotes blood sugar regulation.
Additionally, vitamin D assists in the buildup of healthy tissue and the regulation of the immune system.
In addition to insomnia, vitamin D deficiency can factor into the causes of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, rickets, other bone disorders, osteoporosis, and depression.
Sometimes, curing insomnia can be as simple as checking your vitamin D blood levels.
With proper daylight exposure and regular supplementation, having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep may become a thing of your past.