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A simple change to your daytime routine could help you fall asleep earlier, improve the quality of your rest and boost deep sleep.
According to new research from scientists at the University of Manchester, spending more time in bright, consistent daylight—and avoiding large swings between dim and bright light throughout the week—was linked to healthier sleep patterns.
Many people spend much of the day in dim, artificial lighting. But the findings suggest that being exposed to bright screens and indoor lights at night may disrupt the body’s natural sleep rhythms.
Why Sleep Matters
Sleep plays an important role in physical and mental health—poor sleep has been linked to problems with mood, memory, metabolism and long-term health.
Previous studies have shown that light exposure influences when people feel alert, when they become sleepy and how deeply they sleep.
To investigate whether those effects extend into everyday life, researchers monitored 89 adults using wearable light sensors capable of measuring melanopic light—the type of light that has the greatest influence on the body’s internal clock.
Participants also completed daily sleep diaries, producing more than 500 days of real-world data.
‘Fundamental’
The results showed that people who experienced brighter daytime light generally went to sleep earlier and woke up earlier.
Participants whose light exposure remained more consistent from day to day also demonstrated healthier sleep timing compared with participants whose routines varied more dramatically.
Researchers found another important benefit among participants with steadier lighting habits: Participants with fewer abrupt changes between dim and bright light throughout the week spent more time in deep sleep during the first part of the night.
Deep sleep is considered essential for memory consolidation, physical recovery and overall health.
Participants whose daily light exposure followed stable patterns appeared to have stronger body clock rhythms, which are responsible for regulating sleep and wake cycles.
“Our findings show that brighter days and steadier light routines aren’t just nice to have—they may be fundamental for healthier sleep,” the study’s lead author Dr. Altug Didikoglu said in a release.
“By simply getting more consistent daylight exposure, people could meaningfully improve how they sleep at night.”
‘Brighter days’
The researchers suggest that one of the simplest changes may be spending more time outside during the day—or seeking brighter natural light indoors—and maintaining a more consistent daily light routine throughout the week.
“Brighter days may lead to better nights,” Didikoglu said. “And keeping light exposure stable—avoiding chaotic patterns of dim and bright light—could help strengthen the body’s internal rhythms.”
Newsweek has reached out to the study authors for comment via email.
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