Guest Contributor Series

This week’s Hack Your Health Journal article was written by Thaddeus Owen, light researcher, educator, and co-founder of Dreamwalkerz.ai and Primalhacker.

Thaddeus has studied and taught about light and health since 2009. In this two-part guest contributor series, he shares why he believes light may be one of the most overlooked foundations of health and how something as simple as getting outside at dawn may influence sleep, energy, recovery, and overall well-being.

The following article is written by Thaddeus Owen and reflects his research, experience, and perspective.

Is food more important than exercise for health, weight loss and muscle gain?

Is it better to workout first thing in the morning or later in the day?

Based on years of study and research, optimal health begins first with light. Once we get our light right, food, movement, and supplementation all work better. And one of the easiest and free things you can do every day to make everything better is to simply get outside.

Getting outside seems too easy and most people do not comprehend just how impactful it can be. In fact, a friend of ours lost 45 pounds in 6 weeks, literally by getting outside at dawn every day. He had already locked in his diet and movement, but just couldn’t lose the last 45 pounds until he started getting outside.

One of the most common questions we get is: when and for how long should I get natural sunlight to reset my body clock and improve sleep?

Short answer: go outside as close to dawn as you can — ideally within 60 minutes of sunrise — and try for roughly 18–20 minutes when possible. Even a few minutes is helpful.

Below I explain why.

Why Dawn Light Matters for Circadian Timing

Melatonin, the hormone associated with sleep, rejuvenation, and repair at night is actually programmed in the morning. Assuming you are getting outside.

The human circadian system is highly sensitive to natural light cues at dawn and dusk. A brief bout of bright morning light produces a phase advance of the circadian clock, meaning your internal night shifts earlier and melatonin onset that evening will occur earlier as well. In short, morning light helps set the melatonin timer for about 14–16 hours later and improves sleep timing that night.

Miss this dawn window by sleeping until noon and then getting outside, means melatonin may not be released until 3am. This perpetually keeps you stuck with morning brain fog and insomnia at night.

Many experimental studies show that a single short-duration exposure to bright light in the morning can shift the circadian phase within one day. One day! Literally the day you start doing this can make a difference. This is why getting light near dawn is disproportionately powerful.

Why Early Morning Is Different from Midday or Indoor Light

There is no UV light at dawn. Because of this, when we go out at dawn, we get a bath of infrared and red light. This is like getting a red light therapy session without paying spa prices.

Dawn and early morning light have a unique spectral and intensity profile. The changing spectrum and low-angle light at twilight are salient signals for the circadian system and help synchronize physiology to day-night cycles. Twilight cues matter for entrainment independent of direct sun gazing.

Indoor lighting is both much dimmer and spectrally different from natural dawn. Indoors, an alien, mostly blue lit and processed spectrum of light exists that is never seen in nature. This indoor light does not send the proper cues to your body and actually causes active dysregulation of proper hormone signaling. An example of this is that most animals are unable to get pregnant in winter and this is actually due to the light their body reads from the sun.

However, bringing an animal indoors and flooding it with certain light can increase fertility and change nature’s plan. We do this all the time to ourselves by living indoors. We change our biology constantly and usually not for the better.

If you only see dawn through glass, you will not receive the same stimulus as being outdoors. Standard window glass blocks a meaningful portion of the shorter UV wavelengths and depending on coatings it can reflect or reduce parts of the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum.

For circadian and many photobiological responses, being outdoors is better than viewing dawn through a window.

Sun Exposure and Broad Health Outcomes

Epidemiological reviews report associations between habitual sun exposure and lower risks for some diseases and, in many studies, lower all-cause mortality, though the evidence is complex because sun exposure also increases some skin cancer risks.

Overall, the literature suggests measurable health benefits associated with reasonable sun exposure patterns, and morning light exposure is one actionable way to get those benefits while minimizing midday UV risk.

Continue the Series Next Week

In Part 2, The Morning Sunlight Protocol: How to Reset Your Body Clock Naturally, Thaddeus shares exactly how to implement a morning sunlight practice, including how long to stay outside, what to do on cloudy days, whether direct sun is necessary, and how to make this habit work year-round.