Making the Most of Natural Light Signaling

This blog post is about making the most of natural light signaling.

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I was wrong about the sun

This March, I did a 14-day circadian reset with Carrie B Wellness, and I learned that many of my chronic illness symptoms were caused by too much exposure to unnatural light and not enough natural sunlight. I already had clear plastic blue-blocking screens on my cell phone, laptop, and desktop computer, so I thought that took care of the issues with blue light. But in those 14 days, I learned so much helpful information about getting the most out of natural light and blocking as much artificial blue light as possible.

Before the reset, I was afraid of the sun because I believed it was harmful to my skin and eyes. I believed that burning in intense sunlight was unavoidable, so I applied sunscreen to every inch of my skin, dressed in protective clothing, or stayed indoors when the sun was too bright. I developed vitiligo as a child and used numerous chemical sunscreens throughout my life. However, I could no longer tolerate them due to my MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome). I then switched to plain zinc oxide, thinking it was a better option. I had no idea that my skin and eyes needed exposure need to receive natural light at the same time for proper hormone signaling and other vital functions.

Despite everything I had ever been taught to fear about the sun, I learned I needed it to function. I learned how to stop misusing sunlight and instead gradually use natural light to have a healthy relationship with sunlight. Read on for what I learned!

What is MCAS?

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic condition that affects all organ systems. It can cause severe, disabling symptoms every day, including potentially fatal anaphylaxis. MCAS often occurs with other chronic conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Managing MCAS is challenging because many healthcare providers are unaware of it, and diagnostic tests can be unreliable. Treatments involve using antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers, and avoiding triggers. Check out this post on how to manage MCAS.

What is the issue with artificial blue light?

In our modern lives, we are bombarded with artificial light in our homes, workplaces, and all indoor spaces from LED lights. There are several problems with LED lighting:

Many LEDs, especially cool white or daylight LEDs, emit high levels of blue light (~450–490nm). Natural blue light from the sun is great during the day, but artificial blue light from LEDs at night suppresses melatonin, delays sleep onset, and disrupts your circadian rhythm. This is especially problematic with screens, LED bulbs, and street lighting.

In addition, LEDs often have a spiky, uneven light spectrum, unlike the smooth full-spectrum curve of sunlight or incandescent bulbs. Your body may not “read” this artificial light the same way as natural light, which can affect hormonal and neurological signaling.

Many cheap or poorly designed LED lights also flicker rapidly (even if your eyes can’t see it). Some people are sensitive to flicker, which can cause headaches, eye strain, fatigue, or brain fog. LEDs can feel sterile, overly bright, or cause glare. Poor color rendering means colors appear flat or unnatural, which can subtly affect your mood and perception.

Bright LEDs at night can confuse your body’s internal clock into thinking it’s still daytime, especially without morning sunlight exposure to anchor your rhythm.

What is natural light signaling?

Natural light signaling refers to the way sunlight acts as a powerful biological signal that helps regulate your body’s internal clock, also known as your circadian rhythm. Your brain and body “read” the intensity, angle, and color temperature of natural light throughout the day to guide critical biological functions. Basically, your exposure to natural sunlight at the right times of day signals your body to know what time it is, so that it can put the right amount of energy into the biological processes that need it.

How Natural Light Signals the Body

Here’s a general idea of how natural light signals appropriate body functions:

What is so helpful about natural light signaling

Your eyes (especially the retina) contain specialized photoreceptors (like melanopsin) that detect changes in ambient light and send that information to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) — your brain’s master clock. Here is why your eyes need natural light signaling:

• Getting morning sunlight (especially within 30–60 minutes of waking) during the period known as UVA rise helps anchor your circadian rhythm and improve energy and sleep quality. UVA radiation begins to be present at sunrise and continues throughout all daylight hours. Unlike UVB rays, which peak during midday, UVA levels remain relatively constant from morning to evening, regardless of the season or cloud cover. An easy way to know when UVA rise is happening in your geographical areas is by using an app like My Circadian. You plug in your address, and it tells you the UVA levels throughout the day, specific to your location. Getting exposure to UVA light during UVA rise triggers your body to know it is morning and initiates a cascade of critical biological functions, from hormone signaling to digestion.

• Besides getting the cues that natural sunlight offers, limiting blue light at night helps prevent melatonin suppression and insomnia, so you sleep better. Aboiding blue light in the evening also helps your body get the most benefits from being asleep by making the appropriate amount of melatonin and converting it to tryptophan so that you are ready to go in the morning.

• Being disconnected from natural light (e.g., staying indoors, screen exposure at night) can also disrupt the body’s natural signaling, leading to fatigue, mood disorders, and poor sleep. Natural light signaling helps the sleep-wake cycle (via melatonin and cortisol) be in balance, hormone regulation, mood, and alertness, immune and metabolic function.

What stands in the way of natural light signaling?

So, what interferes with natural light signaling?

1. Lack of Morning Sunlight Exposure. I didn’t know until I started going outside every morning during UVA rise that staying indoors all day or not getting direct sunlight in the morning limits the “reset” signal your body needs to set its internal clock. Glass windows filter out UV and some blue light, so even bright indoor light is usually not strong enough (100–500 lux vs. 10,000+ lux outdoors) to prompt your body’s light signaling needs.

2. Excessive Artificial Light at Night. I also didn’t know that blue light from screens, LEDs, and overhead lights mimics midday sun and tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. This suppresses melatonin, delays sleep, and confuses your circadian rhythm. I’ve had considerable struggles with sleep with MCAS, and I didn’t realize there were some easy ways to improve my sleep.

3. Shift Work or Irregular Sleep Patterns. Being awake at night and sleeping during the day conflicts with natural light cues, often leading to circadian misalignment and health issues. That’s why shift workers have higher rates of illness and earlier death.

4. Jet Lag & Time Zone Disruption. Rapid travel across time zones causes your light-based internal clock to go out of sync with the actual day-night cycle.

5. Chronic Indoor Living. Not spending time in varied natural light conditions (dawn, midday, dusk) reduces your body’s ability to track time naturally. Indoor lighting rarely provides the spectrum or intensity of natural sunlight.

6. Light Pollution. Urban environments are filled with street lights, billboards, and glowing windows that prevent full darkness at night, critical for nighttime signaling.

7. Wearing Sunglasses or Blue-Blocking Glasses All Day. This was a big one for me. I thought that sunglasses were necessary to protect my eyes from the harmful effects of the sun. But sunglasses can be counterproductive, especially in the morning, when your body needs blue light to wake up. From what I learned about the damaging effects of not receiving the light of the sun via the eyes, I stopped wearing sunglasses, and I opt for a hat instead when it’s bright out.

Why does natural light matter?

Disrupted light signaling has been linked to:

• Poor sleep
• Mood disorders (like depression or anxiety)
• Weakened immune function
• Hormonal imbalances
• Metabolic issues and weight gain

The bucket theory

The bucket theory simplifies understanding symptom reactions with MCAS. Imagine your body as an empty bucket you don’t want to overflow. Reactions to various stimuli fill the histamine bucket at different rates, forming the total histamine level (how full your bucket is). More histamine means more symptoms. By managing triggers, reducing exposures, and taking medications and supplements, you can control your bucket’s level.

Know your typical symptom progression

Knowing your symptom progression in a symptom flare is the key to developing your rescue plan. This post discusses how to recognize your symptom progression so you can be prepared to address those symptoms.

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How to get the benefits of natural light signaling

Okay, so here’s what I learned about how to get the benefits of natural light signaling:

Morning Sunlight (First 30–60 minutes after waking)

Goal: Reset your circadian clock, boost cortisol, and suppress melatonin.

How:

• Get outside for 5–15 minutes (longer if it’s cloudy or winter).
• No sunglasses or windows between you and the sky (eyeglasses are OK, though many have a UV coating that blocks natural blue light).
• Look toward the sky (not directly at the sun), ideally at an angle. Sky gazing is great.
• If your refrigerator or microwave has LED lights inside them you can wear orange or red-tone blue-blocking glasses to mitigate the effects of sudden bright unnatural light that causes cortisol dumps.

This tells your brain: “It’s morning!” → boosts alertness, mood (serotonin), and sets your body clock for melatonin release ~14–16 hours later.

Midday Sunlight (Noon–2 PM)

Goal: Get full-spectrum light exposure and support vitamin D production.

How:

• Spend 10–30+ minutes outdoors if possible (skin exposure matters here).
• Take a walk, sit by a sunny window (less effective), or eat lunch outside.
• If you work at a screen, wear yellow-tone blue-blocking glasses during the day.

Natural midday light supports hormone regulation, eye health, and reduces the need for artificial light stimulation later.

Late Afternoon / Sunset Light

Goal: Wind down cortisol, help the brain shift into parasympathetic “rest” mode.

How:

• Step outside during the last 1–2 hours before sunset.
• Watch the colors shift to amber/pink/orange tones (low-angle light).
• Wear orange or red-tone blue-blocking glasses for the last 2 hours of your day to supply the dimness and blue-blocking that foster melatonin production.

This light signals to your body: “Prepare for nighttime,” gradually increasing melatonin.

 After Dark – Avoid Artificial Blue Light

Goal: Protect melatonin and sleep quality.

How:

• Dim overhead lights
• Use amber/red light bulbs in evening areas (or candles) and red light bulbs in your nightlights
• Wear orange or red-tone blue-blocking glasses after sunset if you’re using screens.
• Avoid screens 1–2 hours before bed
• Use a plugin called Iris that dims your screen automatically, and set your phone to
• Darkness is a signal, too, just as important as light! Cover all light sources in your bedroom, such as smoke detector lights, with electrical tape. Use blackout curtains and cover gaps where artificial light can leak in with a rolled-up sheet. Green and blue lights, especially, will block melatonin production, so cover alarm clocks and other light sources with red tape or electrical tape. You can also wear an eye mask while sleeping.
• Turn your phone screen red, iPhone or Android

Bonus Tips:

• Be consistent. Daily exposure to natural light at the same time helps reinforce your circatian rhythms.

• Cloudy? Still go out. Outdoor light is still 10–100x stronger than indoor light, even on overcast days.

• Combine with movement. Morning walks = double signal: light + motion.

Summary

To optimize your circadian system using natural light signaling:

• Get bright outdoor light in the morning during UVA rise (best thing you can do!) Spend 5-20 minutes outside without sunglasses.
• Soak in some midday light for full-spectrum benefits.
• Catch the sunset or late afternoon light to help your body wind down.
• Limit artificial light at night to support melatonin and sleep.

What about full-spectrum light bulbs?

Chromalux® full-spectrum light bulbs are designed to mimic natural daylight by utilizing neodymium glass, which filters out certain wavelengths, particularly in the yellow spectrum. This filtration enhances the violet, blue, green, and red tones in the emitted light, resulting in a more balanced and vibrant illumination. 

Specific data on the exact amount of blue light emitted by Chromalux® bulbs is not readily available. However, it’s important to note that these bulbs are engineered to provide a balanced spectrum of light, closely resembling natural daylight. This balance means they do emit blue light, but not in excessive amounts.

For individuals seeking to minimize blue light exposure, especially during evening hours, Chromalux® offers a 25W bulb specifically designed with low blue light content. This bulb emits a soothing red light, making it suitable for nighttime use to reduce potential disruptions to sleep patterns.

In summary, while Chromalux® full-spectrum bulbs do emit blue light as part of their balanced spectrum, they are designed to replicate the natural light environment, potentially offering benefits over standard artificial lighting. For those particularly sensitive to blue light or concerned about its effects during nighttime, opting for Chromalux®’s low blue light options may be beneficial.

What Happens With an Eye Mask?

Wearing a good-quality eye mask while you sleep blocks light from reaching the retina, especially around the edges where ambient light can sneak in. If no light reaches the retina, the pineal gland gets the message to produce melatonin, which supports sleep.

So even if your room is bright, wearing an effective eye mask can “trick” your brain into thinking it’s dark.

Sign up for the SSP!

The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a listening therapy based on Polyvagal Theory that helps heal nervous system regulation. Many people with MCAS have nervous system dysregulation stemming from infections, toxic exposures, concussions, and trauma. The SSP is an easy-to-use app where you listen to specially filtered music for 30 minutes each day for a 5-hour cycle. Studies show the SSP has a profound effect on mental health and chronic conditions

You can sign up for the SSP here!

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Disclaimer

The preceding material does not constitute medical advice. This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, cure or treatment. Always seek advice from your medical doctor.