JJ Virgin cites Andrew Huberman's advice to get 2 to 10 minutes of sunlight within 30 minutes of waking. Morning light syncs your circadian rhythm, which controls sleep, digestion, and hormones. Skip the snooze button and open the curtains instead.
So what is the first thing you should do when you wake up? First hint, it shouldn't be hit the snooze button. I want you to break that habit and instead immediately open the curtains and look at the sunlight. Now, I was fortunate to get to speak at an event a few years back with the amazing Dr. Andrew Huberman, who's a neuroscientist at Stanford, and he is an expert in optimizing the brain and body for peak performance. He recommends getting outside and exposing your eyes to natural sunlight for at least 2 to 10 minutes within the first 30 minutes of waking up. Why is this so important? So here's the deal: sunlight helps regulate your circadian rhythm, and your circadian rhythm is your body's internal clock. Your circadian rhythm controls various processes in your body like sleep, digestion, hormone production, you know, just a couple small things. When you expose yourself to sunlight, you're signaling to your brain that it is wake-up time.
