{"id":11497,"date":"2026-07-20T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=11497"},"modified":"2026-07-20T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T07:00:00","slug":"spending-more-time-in-bright-daylight-could-transform-your-sleep-according-to-new-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=11497","title":{"rendered":"Spending more time in bright daylight could transform your sleep, according to new study"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F07%2F134973876.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Spending more time in bright daylight could help people fall asleep earlier and get deeper sleep at night, according to new research.<\/p>\n<p>A study led by researchers at the University of Manchester found that adults with brighter and more consistent daytime light exposure tended to\u00a0fall asleep earlier, wake up earlier and experience more deep sleep during the first part of the night.<\/p>\n<p>The findings, published in the journal NPJ Biological Timing and Sleep, were based on more than 500 days of data collected from 89 adults who wore light sensors and sleep trackers while keeping daily sleep diaries.<\/p>\n<p>Participants who spent more time in brighter daylight generally fell asleep and woke up earlier than those with less light exposure. Those with more consistent daytime light exposure also experienced healthier sleep timing and more deep sleep early in the night, according to the study.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer Martin, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and professor at Florida International University\u2019s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, said the findings align with what sleep experts already know about how light affects the\u00a0body\u2019s internal clock.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Getting more bright daylight during the day may help people fall asleep earlier and experience deeper sleep at night, new research suggests. <span class=\"credit\">oatawa \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cLight impacts human sleep through a specific pathway, starting with the eye,\u201d Martin, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen light hits specific cells in the retina, it communicates to the brain that it\u2019s daytime, meaning we should be alert and active.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morning light is especially beneficial because it helps keep the body\u2019s sleep-wake cycle consistent, Martin said. She recommends\u00a0spending time outdoors\u00a0early in the day when possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExposure to sunlight early in the day is really good for healthy sleep,\u201d she said. \u201cRegular morning light helps people feel sleepy around the same time each evening and build a strong sleep routine.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Light helps signal the body that it\u2019s time to be awake, experts say. <span class=\"credit\">Tatyana Gladskih \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Limiting bright light in the evening can also help improve sleep, Martin said.<\/p>\n<p>She recommends avoiding bright light during the last couple of hours before bedtime and maintaining a consistent wake-up time each morning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVarying your wake time by more than about one hour can lead to feelings of \u2018jet lag\u2019 and contribute to trouble with regularly sleeping well,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Avoiding bright light during the last couple of hours before bedtime and maintaining a consistent wake-up time each morning can also support healthy sleep. <span class=\"credit\">JenkoAtaman \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She added that adults should aim for at least seven hours of sleep each night and seek help from a sleep specialist if sleep problems become chronic.<\/p>\n<p>While the findings suggest brighter\u00a0daytime light\u00a0may support healthier sleep, the researchers said the study has several limitations.<\/p>\n<p>They noted that the research found an association between daytime light exposure and sleep patterns but did not prove that one directly caused the other.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers also measured light exposure using wrist-worn devices rather than at the eyes, where light directly influences the body\u2019s internal clock, and did not account for factors such as\u00a0physical activity\u00a0or meal timing that could affect sleep.<\/p>\n<p>Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spending more time in bright daylight could help people fall asleep earlier and get deeper sleep at night, according to new research. A study led by researchers at the University of Manchester found that adults with brighter and more consistent daytime light exposure tended to\u00a0fall asleep earlier, wake up earlier and experience more deep sleep&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/134973876.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}