Sunlight vs Supplements: Why Light Beats a Multivitamin

Before we had supplements, blue light glasses, or biohacks, we had the sun. Hail the sun!

We’ve been systematically trained to fear the sun, but I assure you, sunlight is nothing to fear. It’s something we once rose with, ate under, and went to sleep by. Now we’ve unfortunately traded that in for filtered windows, overhead LED’s, sunglasses, and sunscreen. And also social media.

If you live in the modern world, I’m willing to bet that your body and retinas are starving for light.

We treat food as nourishment, but we forget that sunlight is also a nutrient — one that tells your body what time it is, what hormones to produce, and how to regulate everything from inflammation to mood.

Morning Light Isn’t Just a Nice Idea — It’s Biology

Early morning sunlight is rich in red and blue wavelengths that your retinal photoreceptors were designed to receive. These signals trigger:

• A cortisol pulse (that’s a good thing in the morning)
  

• Suppression of melatonin so you feel awake
  

• Programming of your circadian rhythm for the next 24 hours
  

When you miss this cue, your entire biological orchestra plays out of tune. Now imagine what happens when you miss this cue day in, day out, for years on end. You might be able to see that it’s daytime outside, but your internal body has absolutely no idea what’s going on.

Anybody that walks into my clinic with fatigue, insomnia, PMS, burnout, or autoimmune disease always gets a morning sunlight prescription.

Sunlight, Hormones, and Immune Health

Your circadian rhythm is deeply tied to immune and hormonal signalling. Disrupted light exposure affects:

• Melatonin (a master antioxidant and gut healer)
  

• Cortisol (which modulates inflammation and energy)
  

• Insulin (light helps regulate blood sugar rhythms)
  

• Leptin and ghrelin (your hunger hormones)

• Estrogen and progesterone (via pineal-hypothalamic signalling)
  
  

In one 2020 study, disrupted circadian rhythm was linked to worsened outcomes in autoimmune disease, mental health conditions, and metabolic disorders.

Your body doesn’t just want sleep. It wants timing — and light is the metronome.

Light Is Free Medicine

I want you to think of morning sunlight as the body's conductor (sorry not sorry about all the music puns). Every system in your body is an instrument. Without the conductor, everybody is just guessing at how to play in synch with the other. There is no one really guiding the show.

Here’s what even 5–10 minutes can do when you go outside within 30 minutes of waking:

• Boost your energy more reliably than caffeine
  

• Reduce brain fog and regulate cortisol
  

• Improve insulin sensitivity and metabolism
  

• Enhance mental clarity and mood
  

• Reset your circadian clock to reduce evening anxiety
  

Right light at the prime time. That is my motto. You don’t have to quit your office job. You just need right light at the prime time.

Why Vitamin D Supplements Aren’t Enough

Yes, sunlight triggers vitamin D synthesis, but that’s only part of the picture. The benefits of light extend far beyond vitamin D:

• Infrared light promotes mitochondrial function and collagen repair
  

• Blue light (in moderation, and in the morning) sets circadian rhythm
  

• UV light modulates immune cells like T-regs (important in autoimmunity)
  

You literally can’t supplement that. You have to soak it in.

How to Reclaim Your Relationship with Light

You don’t need to be perfect — but you do need to be intentional.

Try this light prescription:

• Go outside within 30 minutes of waking (no sunglasses)
  

• Face east and look toward the sky (you don’t have to stare at the sun)
  

• Spend 5–15 minutes outdoors even if it’s cloudy
  

• Watch the sunset or dim lights after 7pm
  

• Use candles or amber lighting in the evening to prepare for sleep
  
  

Pair this with adaptogens or herbal teas that support your nervous system and circadian regulation — like Reishi, chamomile, or Medera's Hypnos Magnesium Drink— and you’ve just built a foundation more powerful than most supplements on the shelf.

Light before labels.

Before you look for the next supplement, consider the simplest thing your body is begging for.

You are a circadian being. A creature of light.

And light — when used wisely — is one of the most affordable, effective, and radically natural medicines we have.