Bright

Up and at 'em sunshine!  The Week of Sleep is almost complete - just one more Daily Mind Game and you've earned your black belt in sleep.  That's not a real thing, by the way. Sorry.  But don't fret, this final challenge has nothing to do with sleeping.  In fact, the goal for today is to become as "awake" as possible.  It's time to reset our clocks.

Wake up!

Today's challenge is simple: get in some bright light right after waking up.  If the best strategy at night is to "Dim", then when it's time to wake up, we should do the opposite, right?

All of this is motivated by the exquisite light-sensitivity of our circadian clock.  Just as darkness signaled sleep-time before lightbulbs were everywhere, the rising sun was the signal to get out of bed and get moving.  By getting into bright light ASAP, we're giving our internal clocks the cue they need to reset and start the circadian rhythm fresh.

Bright

Task: Get into bright light within 15 minutes of waking up.

Info: The best way to get the ultimate morning signal is to get outside in the sun.  Go for a walk in the morning or eat breakfast outside on a patio.  Not possible?  Live in New England or Moscow in the winter? Open all the blinds in the house.  Sit and eat breakfast near an open window.  Better yet, stare outside for awhile in the morning.  Essentially get as much sunlight on your eyeballs as possible.  If the light seems "too bright", that's good in a way.  Your brain is still in sleep mode, but we want to shake it awake: light is the way to go.  Just don't look into the sun, ok?

Goal: Get at least 15min of direct sunlight within 30minutes of waking.

Doesn't it feel good to wake up?  Now, do something productive; like, supporting The Happy Homunculus! Muchas gracias :)