Following my Ayurvedic daily routine, dinacharya, helps me to feel my best each day. I start each morning with an early morning walk to start the day feeling energized, peaceful and to get a good night’s sleep.
Dinacharya in Sanskrit is made of two words ‘dina’ = day and ‘acharya’ = activity (1,2 ). Dinacharya is the daily routine to help you stay connected to your circadian rhythms or the internal body clock.
“Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes respond primarily to light and dark and affect most living things, including animals, plants, and microbes.” ( 3)
Circadian Rhythm Benefits
Creating a daily routine to align with your circadian rhythm, the rhythms of nature, offers many benefits (3,4):
healthy metabolism,
healthy digestion,
healthy immune system,
proper hormonal production and release (such as melatonin, serotonin, cortisol)
Another very important benefit is to support a good night’s sleep.
A good night’s sleep begins with getting up early in the morning. After sunrise, around 6 am -8am it is Kapha time of the day, when the grounding and heavy energy of the earth element is dominant.
Early Morning Blue Light Benefits
Ayurveda recommends we rise before sunlight. During the early part of the morning, blue light dominates the light spectrum. Blue light helps to inhibit the body’s production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy, allowing you to feel more awake mentally and alive physically (5,6).
Getting exposed to the early morning blue light helps to balance the heavy and grounding effects of the energy of Kapha dosha (7,8). Exposure to early sunlight can help your body reset its inner sleep clock, and figure out when to go to sleep.
A healthy dose of sunlight during the day also helps to boost one’s energy level during the day so you can stay active. Red light waves are always present in sunlight during the day. These red light waves support energy production in your cells, specifically in the mitochondria, creating energy for overall wellness (9).
Too much sunlight can lead to sunburn and increase one’s chances of skin cancer. Take care to wear appropriate sunscreen, clothing, and limit prolonged sunlight exposure.
Get Your Dose of Healthy Blue Rays
Try starting your day by waking up before sunrise (or at sunrise) and step outdoors to get some sunlight. Go for a walk like I do, or sit outside and enjoy your morning beverage. You only need 20 -30 minutes (10) of morning sunlight to receive the benefits.
Resources:
- https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Dinacharya
- https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/6736/dinacharya
- https://www.ssmhealth.com/blogs/ssm-health-matters/april-2022/nature-can-reset-your-circadian-rhythm)
- https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx?hgcrm_agency=client&hgcrm_channel=paid_search&hgcrm_campaignid=9129&keyword=gyn&matchtype=b&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_source=google&utm_content=ag_gynecology&hgcrm_tacticid=13200&hgcrm_trackingsetid=18769&hgcrm_source=google_adwords&utm_campaign=ssm_stl_2022_acc_womens_health
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/morning-sunlight-exposure-3973908#citation-5
- https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/longhourstraining/color_cont.html
- https://lifespa.com/ayurvedic-lifestyle/circadian-rhythm/the-ayurvedic-energy-of-sunrise-midday-and-sunset/#Kapha_Time_6_am_to_10_am
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7065627/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996814/
- https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ss/slideshow-sunlight-health-effects#:~:text=Morning%20light%20also%20seems%20to,better%20it%20seems%20to%20work.
#earlymornigsunlight #bluelightbenefits #sleep #circadianrhythm #ayurvediclifestyle #bwellayurvedahealthcoach