The Sunlight Exposures are Another Secret to Japanese Longevity

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It is a sunset in the forest.

I usually expose myself to the morning sunlight by doing sun gazing meditation, standing meditation, and Nordic walking or jogging, like in this video,

but recently, I have been exposing myself to the evening sunlight as well when I can.

Both morning sunlight exposure and evening sunlight exposure are good to set you to align with circadian rhythms.

You don’t have to do it at sunrise, you can do it after the sun has risen as long as you do it within an hour after waking up. I myself do it after the sun has risen recently since the sun doesn’t rise until 7 o’clock and I need to feed my son between 7 and 7:30. When I shot the video, I went Nordic walking between 6 and 7 before my son’s breakfast time.

In the evening, too, you don’t need to do it at sunset but anytime around that time, within an hour or so before the sun sets.

The morning sun exposure conditions you for the day, telling you that the day has begun, and evening sun exposure conditions you for the evening, telling you that the day is ending.

According to Dr. Mathew Walker, a sleep expert at the University of California at Berkley, both morning sunlight exposure and evening sunlight exposure help you sleep well. You will have a better sleep quality if you expose yourself to the sun.

Japanese people have been doing it without knowing the benefits. Japan is called the land of the rising sun, and the sun has been a critical part of our life. We pray to the sun every morning and every evening.  So, I think our relationship with the sun is another factor of Japanese longevity.

 

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