Adopting Andrew Huberman’s approach to measuring light intensity

The Earthy30 team test a light metre to understand light intensity indoors and outdoors. Click the video above for a look at the differences.

Light Meter is a tool used to measure the intensity of light in lux. Lux is the amount of light projected by a single candle onto a one-meter square surface placed one meter away. To use the Light Meter app, you must create a diffuser using a piece of paper placed on top of your phone—then you’re good to go!

In the video, you can see that the light intensity indoors is 370 lux, while inside the window, it's 1400 lux, and outside the window, it ranges from 3000 to 9000 lux. 

Why does the intensity of light matter to your health?

It's crucial to go outdoors to get morning sunlight in your eyes because natural light is significantly brighter than indoor light, even on a cloudy day. Exposure to natural light helps regulate your body's circadian rhythm, which controls your sleep-wake cycle, hormones, and other bodily functions.

When you expose your eyes to morning sunlight, it stimulates the production of cortisol, a hormone that makes you feel alert, awake, and energized. Additionally, morning sunlight exposure can improve your mood and mental well-being, increase vitamin D production, and help regulate your body's biological clock.

Indoor light does not provide the same benefits as natural light, which is why it's essential to go outdoors to get your daily dose of sunlight.

What is the optimal time to get sunlight during the day?

Getting sunlight in the morning is essential for two reasons:

Firstly, you need to experience the orange/blue contrast in the light to signal your brain that it's morning and not just any time of the day.

Secondly, you should align your sun exposure with your natural cortisol spike, which triggers a series of hormonal changes to prepare your body for the day's activities.

In general, earlier is better, so first light. But before 9 am should do the trick.

Earthy30 and morning sunlight

Earthy30 is the challenge that helps you eat a wide variety of plant-based foods each week. Level 1 is just diet. Level 2 adds sunlight and exercise in order to have a more holistic effect on your health.

Head to our challenge page and learn all about it.

Learn more about the benefits of morning sunlight here.