Our modern lives, especially in America, have severed our connection to God’s creation in so many ways. Something our family instituted last year, is making an effort to go outside together and watch the sunset. This has become a really sweet time for us to connect with one another and put our focus back on what we’re grateful for, and giving thanks to God for how good He is to us. Here’s what happens in a day where you pay attention to the sun…
Watching the Sunrise give you all this amazing exposure to healing red light wavelengths (the same wavelengths that people pay a lot of money for in red light therapy devices!). As the sun comes up over the horizon, the natural burst of blue light shuts off melatonin production and boosts our mood and cognitive function for the day (as opposed to the artificially produced blue light on phone, tablet & TV screens definitely DOES NOT hold health benefits for us). Watching the sunrise for just 5-15 minutes can have other significant positive effects on your health: improves your brain’s communication with your thyroid, sleep/wake cycles are properly established, energy level is improved throughout the day because red light is absorbed by your mitochondria where energy is produced in your cells, helps mood and focus by triggering serotonin production, and can help calm inflammation!
Sunset has similar benefits, but now the red light at the end of the day helps your body to start “powering down.” It signals the brain to begin producing melatonin to help you fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply. Your body can then easily transition into rest/digest, when your parasympathetic nervous system takes over to help your body calm down.
Always end your day giving thanks!