Dr. Betty MurrayHelping Women Navigate Menopause | Speaker, Author, and Advocate for Women's Health Over 40

The Morning Habit That Supports Mitochondria

16 Aug 2026 · 1 min

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In this segment, Dr. Betty Murray emphasizes a simple yet powerful habit for patients: wake up at the same time every day, including weekends, and obtain exposure to natural morning light within the first 30 minutes after waking. She explains that mitochondria possess an internal clock that relies on light cues to synchronize. When this clock is misaligned, cellular “recharge” is impaired, leading to suboptimal mitochondrial function. Consistent wake times and early‑day light exposure act as zeitgebers that reset the mitochondrial clock, supporting better cellular energy restoration.

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One of the foundational tools that I always kind of talk with my patients is waking up at the same time every day. And it sounds simple, but just the commitment to doing that 7 days a week, including on Saturday, and then getting yourself exposed to morning light within that first 30-minute window of time. Your mitochondria kind of have this clock to it, right? And so, if you have kind of a faulty clock, you have faulty recharge, right? And you're not able to kind of recharge those cells because they're not getting kind of that morning light exposure to kind of set the cycle for those mitochondria.