How Sun and Moon Light Shape Your Health
Sunrise, Moonlight, and Your Body’s Rhythm
"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years." — Genesis 1:14 KJV
There is something about stepping outside first thing in the morning. The chill on your cheeks, the quiet before the day begins, and the golden light spilling across the fields. That light is not just pretty. It is designed to wake your body up. As the sun rises and sets, and the moon waxes and wanes overhead, God has set up rhythms that guide our very lives, including our sleep, energy, moods, and even fertility.
Morning Sunlight
Before electricity, people woke with the sun. Cortisol rose, our bodies felt alive, and mitochondria, the little power plants in our cells, got to work turning food into energy. Being outdoors in that morning light literally turns on your body’s daytime mode.
Evening was different. The warm glow of firelight or candles signaled the body to slow down, relax, and prepare for repair. Sleep was longer and deeper. People were not scrolling on phones or staring at bright LED lights. They were aligned with the natural rhythms God made.
Practical tip: Try swapping harsh overhead lighting for a warm-toned lamp in the evening or keep a small red reading light for late-night tasks. It is a simple way to honor your body’s built-in rhythms.
The Moon and Monthly Rhythms
The moon is often overlooked, but its cycles have guided women’s bodies for centuries. The average menstrual cycle lasts about 29 days, almost the same as the lunar cycle. Before modern lighting, moonlight helped regulate melatonin, which in turn keeps reproductive hormones like LH and FSH on track.
Waxing moons were a time of growth, energy, and fertility, while waning moons were a time to release and rest. Disruption from nighttime artificial light can throw these rhythms off, leading to irregular cycles, delayed ovulation, or hormonal imbalance.
Fertility and Light
Light exposure influences more than sleep; it directly impacts fertility and reproductive health in both women and men. Natural sunlight and darkness regulate melatonin, protect reproductive cells, and balance reproductive hormones. Morning sun stabilizes cortisol, supports energy metabolism, and primes the body for daily function. Waxing moons align with the body’s growth and fertility phase, while waning moons support rest and renewal.
Melatonin, produced in response to darkness, protects ovarian cells from oxidative stress and helps regulate the hormones controlling ovulation, including luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). In men, it supports testosterone production and sperm health. Artificial light at night, especially blue light from screens or LEDs, suppresses melatonin and can disrupt these rhythms, contributing to irregular cycles or delayed ovulation in women and reduced reproductive function in men.
Sunlight also influences the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, helping maintain healthy estrogen and progesterone levels in women, supporting ovulation, and regulating the luteal phase. In men, it supports healthy testosterone levels and overall reproductive function. Mitochondrial function in reproductive cells, critical for egg quality in women and sperm motility in men, also benefits from proper light exposure.
Nature as the Ultimate Reset
Red light therapy panels and blue-light blocking glasses are helpful, but nothing replaces actual time outdoors. Sunlight provides vitamin D, reduces inflammation, lifts mood, improves focus, and naturally aligns your circadian and infradian rhythms.
Even a few minutes a day of outdoor work, gardening, or watching the sunrise can reset your body in ways no device can. It is free, restorative, and a reminder of God’s design in creation.
Light Hygiene Checklist
Watch the sunrise and sunset daily, even if just for a few minutes
Spend as much time outdoors as possible
Reduce indoor blue light in the evenings
Use warm-toned lamps or candles at night
Keep your bedroom dark for uninterrupted sleep
Track your menstrual cycle alongside the lunar phases
The sun and moon are the lights that govern our days and months, shaping our energy, rest, and the rhythms of our bodies. Observing their cycles helps bodies function as intended, supporting sleep, hormonal balance, and overall health.
“The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth forever; The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth forever.” — Psalm 136:7–9 KJV