The Reality CraftersEvery night after dinner, provided the weather is playing nice enough, we go for an extended walk and see the sunset.
#realitycrafters #walkingforhealth #circadianrhythms #semisunchasers #stepcount
This has been especially fun around Christmas when we've also gotten to see all the local light displays on show (and show them to our toddler daughter, who really enjoys them too if she's not asleep at the time).
We don't just do this post-dinner walk because it's fun... But also to indulge in the health benefits of being semi-sun chasers, getting movement after eating and getting our step count in.
To just briefly touch on the specifics...
Being semi-sun chasers and trying to catch both the sunrise and sunset every day is a good idea if you can swing it (obviously, people have jobs, newborns and other things that may get in the way).
It has been shown that morning and evening sunlight exposure (especially morning sunlight exposure) contributes significantly to sleep quality*. Good sleep quality is important for all facets of health, recovery and rejuvenation.
Movement after a meal has been shown to reduce the glucose responses of meals**. This works as the muscle contractions from walking pull glucose immediately out of the bloodstream to use in the production of energy.
This, in essence, helps with improving heart health, lowering blood pressure, improving digestion, helping with metabolic health and weight management, and reducing "inflammation" (a broad word we'll have to have a future post discussing as it has oft been misappropriated).
Lastly, it's no secret that "getting steps in" is not a bad idea just generally. Although 10,000 steps is very much an arbitrary number (nothing mystical happens when you move from 9,999 steps to 10,000), it's not a bad ballpark to aim for.
In a recent review of 57 studies, compared with 2,000 steps per day, 7,000 steps per day was associated with a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality***. So, even just a little extra walking does a lot of good.
If you're on the fence, let this post be your motivation to go for a post-dinner stroll to see the Christmas lights in your locale!
* de Menezes-Júnior, L. A. A., Sabião, T. da S., Carraro, J. C. C., Machado-Coelho, G. L. L., & Meireles, A. L. (2025). The role of sunlight in sleep regulation: analysis of morning, evening and late exposure. BMC Public Health, 25(1), Article 3362. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24618-8
** Bellini, A., Nicolò, A., Bazzucchi, I., & Sacchetti, M. (2022). The Effects of Postprandial Walking on the Glucose Response after Meals with Different Characteristics. Nutrients, 14(5), 1080. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14051080
The role of sunlight in sleep regulation: analysis of morning, evening and late exposure - BMC Public Health
Background Recent lifestyle changes have reduced sunlight exposure, impacting circadian rhythms and sleep regulation. This study investigates how sunlight exposure at different times of the day affects sleep parameters. Methods This cross-sectional study included 1,762 adults from the Iron Quadrilateral region, Brazil, and was conducted between October and December 2020. Sunlight exposure was self-reported for three periods: before 10 a.m., between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and after 3 p.m. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), which also provided information on total sleep time (total minutes slept), sleep latency (time to fall asleep), sleep efficiency (ratio of time spent asleep to time in bed), and the midpoint of sleep (the halfway point between sleep onset and wake-up time, indicative of circadian rhythm alignment). Associations between sunlight exposure and sleep outcomes were evaluated using linear regression models, adjusted for sociodemographic and behavioral variables. Results The midpoint of sleep was the most affected sleep parameter, showing significant associations with sunlight exposure across all timeframes, particularly in the morning. Every 30-minute increment of morning sun exposure (before 10 a.m.) was associated with a 23-minute reduction in the midpoint of sleep (-0:23 hh: mm; 95%CI: -0:36, -0:10; beta: -0.387; 95%CI: -0.607, -0.166). Sunlight exposure after 3 p.m. also reduced the midpoint of sleep but to a lesser extent (-0:19 hh: mm; 95%CI: -0:36, -0:03; beta: -0.325; 95%CI: -0.600, -0.051). Furthermore, an increase in morning sun exposure was significantly associated with a lower PSQI total score, improving sleep quality (beta: -0.184; 95%CI: -0.362, -0.006). No significant associations were observed between sunlight exposure and total sleep time, latency, or efficiency. Conclusion Morning sunlight exposure influences the regulation of the sleep midpoint and overall sleep quality. These findings highlight the potential role of morning sun exposure in aligning circadian rhythms and improving sleep health.
*** Ding, D., Nguyen, B., Nau, T., Luo, M., del Pozo Cruz, B., Dempsey, P. C., Munn, Z., Jefferis, B. J., Sherrington, C., Calleja, E. A., Hau Chong, K., Davis, R., Francois, M. E., Tiedemann, A., Biddle, S. J. H., Okely, A., Bauman, A., Ekelund, U., Clare, P., & Owen, K. (2025). Daily steps and health outcomes in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. The Lancet. Public Health, 10(8), e668–e681. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(25)00164-1