Welcome to April!
Did you know April was historically our “new year”?
For some of us that makes a lot of sense because January 1 is still the dead of winter. And we don’t always resonate with the fact that in January, we are supposed to be setting the NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS.
In a sense, it really doesn’t make sense to set big, hairy, audacious goals while most of our hemisphere is still technically hibernating.
I bring this up because it’s a new time of year and you can see, feel, and even smell the newness. We have had record rainfall and truthfully, we love it but we are ready for it to chill out a bit.
Our home is blooming. The orange blossoms, and all the annuals are coming in. With all of the rain, we have had more critters.
Dusk has brought the rhythmic serenade of our local amphibians.
Something new for my family.
Something very welcome.
I am proud to say our family has seen more sunrises and sunsets than in the history of my life really. With the exception of maybe Iraq if I am honest. But that’s a story for another time. If you have ever read The Alchemist, you know there is nothing like the desert to tell you about the wisdoms of life – especially at dusk and dawn.
I digress.
We hope this fresh new season of spring is an opportunity for you to set some solid, sustainable, and yet achievable health goals for your family.
When I was going through school, one of the things seemingly every teacher would educate us on is that a primary healer for all of life is sleep.
In this hyper-technological age, we are more shackled to our devices and screens. We are marinating in artificial BLUE light as we do our very best to stay focused on the unending task lists (often given to us by someone other than our own soul).
One of my mentors who I was blessed to interview recently introduced me to this amazing medical doctor by the name of Jack Kruse. Dr. Kruse was the first expert to introduce me to the concept of red light and the toxicity of our screens and also the difference in the types of bulbs we use in our daily lives.
This was over 5 years ago. And it’s funny because when dusk hits, ALL of our lights in the home are free of blue light. We still have some LED bulbs but at the very least we have wave-length hygiene.
The light we expose ourselves to influences our neurology and brain. Every cell in our body has photoreceptors (especially the retina of the eye) which transmit to our brain whether it’s day or night.
It’s powerful (and necessary) to be up in the morning early enough to see the sunrise and out to see the sun setting (extra credit if you are grounding – barefoot on the earth – during this time) because this simple act connects you to the rhythms of life itself.
This has a beneficial effect on normalizing your circadian rhythms and being without it or disconnected from it will always do the opposite.
There is a lot of research showing blue light causes a multitude of negative health effects including hypoxia (your cells stop breathing) in all of your cells and also negatively affects your mitochondria and microbiome.
Why should you care?
Because it’s a simple and free tool to influence your health…right down to the cellular level.
Good sleep is the CAUSE of so many amazing health outcomes.
Poor sleep is the CAUSE of so many poor health outcomes.
More importantly, good sleep is an EFFECT of good habits and light/tech hygiene.
Get outside, reconnect to the sun and the rhythms of life.
Set some healthy boundaries around your devices (turn off ALL alerts except those which involve your kids and emergencies) and turn on your ‘night shift’ at all times.
Get bluelight glasses for yourself and your kids. Our favorite company is Ra Optics.
No screens 30-60 mins before bed or upon rising.
***Special shoutout to Dr. Ryan, Allison and Baby Jack Kiser for their new journey as a new family. Praying for great sleep as much of the time as possible!
With this new season, it’s time to own your day.
And this begins with reestablishing your relationship with light itself.
And sweet, rejuvenating sleep is the natural consequence of that improved relationship.