I looked out my bedroom window. 7am. Dark, grey, and drizzling.
I thought: "There's no point. There's barely any light out there anyway".
So I stayed inside. Made my coffee in the kitchen. Started my day at my desk.
And I felt terrible.
Heavy limbs. Brain fog. That exhausted feeling where even simple tasks feel overwhelming.
But I was sleeping eight hours. Sometimes nine. I was doing everything "right".
So why did I feel like this?
This was a few years ago. I'd just learned about circadian biology and the importance of morning light exposure for setting your body's internal clock.
And I was convinced it wouldn't work for me.
Because I live in Ireland. We have a lot of grey days. A lot of rain. And in the darkest part of winter, it's dark until 8:30am anyway.
"Morning light exposure" sounded great for people in California or Spain. But here? What was I supposed to do—stand in the barely light, drizzly rain and pretend that counted as "light exposure"?
It felt pointless.
The Excuse I Kept Making
For weeks, I had this internal debate every morning.
On sunny days—which were rare—I'd go outside. I'd stand in my garden for 10 minutes, face towards the sun, and I'd feel pretty good about following the protocol.
But on grey days? I'd look out the window, see the overcast sky or the rain, and think: "Not today. There's no actual sunlight anyway. I'll just skip it".
And then I'd feel terrible all day. Low energy. Foggy. Exhausted despite adequate sleep.
But I kept making the excuse: "It's the weather. The light just isn't strong enough here".
The Day I Stopped Making Excuses
One morning—a particularly grey, drizzly February morning—I decided to try something.
I put on my raincoat. I went outside at 7am. I stood in my garden in the rain.
It felt ridiculous.
I was standing there in my dressing gown under a raincoat, holding a cup of tea, staring at a grey sky while drizzle fell on my face.
I stayed out there for 10 minutes.
And then I went back inside and got on with my day.
What I Didn't Expect
I didn't expect to notice a difference. Not that day, anyway.
But by mid-morning, I realised something: I felt more alert than usual. My brain fog had lifted slightly.
It wasn't dramatic. But it was noticeable.
So I did it again the next day. And the next. And the next.
Rain or shine—mostly rain, to be honest—I went outside at 7am every morning.
And after about a week, I started to notice real changes.
My energy in the mornings improved. I wasn't dragging myself out of bed anymore. I was actually waking up feeling... not amazing, but better. More human.
My afternoon energy crashes—the ones that used to hit around 2 or 3pm—became less severe.
And my sleep? It improved. I was falling asleep more easily. Waking up less during the night. Actually feeling rested when my alarm went off.
Why It Works (Even When It Doesn't Feel Like It)
Here's what I learned:
Even on a completely overcast day, outdoor light is significantly brighter than indoor light.
Like, 10 to 100 times brighter.
Indoor lighting—even if you have all your lights on and you're sitting by a window—is usually around 100-500 lux.
Outdoor light on a heavily overcast day? 1,000-10,000 lux.
Your eyes can detect that difference. Even if it doesn't feel bright to you.
You have special photoreceptor cells in your eyes called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). These cells are specifically designed to detect light levels and send that information directly to your brain's master circadian clock.
And these cells respond to outdoor light even on grey days.
So when you go outside—even when it's overcast, even when it's raining—those cells are detecting the light and sending signals to your brain: "It's morning. Time to produce cortisol. Time to be awake".
Without that signal, your body doesn't know what time it is.
Your cortisol might not peak properly in the morning. So you wake up feeling exhausted even after sleeping eight hours.
Your melatonin timing might be off. So you can't fall asleep at night, or your sleep quality is poor.
Your metabolism gets confused. Your hormones get disrupted. Your energy becomes unpredictable.
The Timeline: What Actually Changed
Here's what happened over the course of that month:
Week 1: Slight improvement in morning alertness. Still felt tired, but not as desperately exhausted. Afternoon crashes still happening but maybe 10% less severe.
Week 2: Waking up feeling noticeably more rested. Not bouncing out of bed or anything, but definitely more human. Afternoon energy more stable. Falling asleep slightly easier at night.
Week 3: This was when it really shifted. I woke up one morning and realised: I felt good. Not just "less tired." Actually good. Alert. Clear-headed. Like my body had finally remembered how to produce energy properly.
Week 4: Sustained improvement. Energy stable throughout the day. No afternoon crashes. Sleeping through the night. Waking up feeling rested most mornings.
It wasn't a miracle cure. Some days were still harder than others. But the baseline had shifted significantly.
What I Do Now
I still go outside every morning at 7am. Rain or shine.
I wear a raincoat if it's raining. I wear layers if it's cold. I take my herbal tea out with me.
I stand in my garden for 10-15 minutes. I face the direction where the sun would be, even if I can't see it through the clouds.
Some mornings I walk around the block. Some mornings I just stand there. Some mornings, if I have to work, I take my laptop out to a makeshift standing desk I made out of chairs and a camping table under shelter.
It still feels a bit ridiculous sometimes. Especially when it's pouring rain and I'm standing outside in my dressing gown.
But it works.
And now that I've experienced what it's like to have stable energy, to wake up feeling rested, to not crash every afternoon—I'm not going back to making excuses about grey days.
The Other Pieces That Matter
Morning light is the foundation. But there are other pieces that affect sleep quality despite adequate duration.
Evening light exposure: If you're getting great morning light but then you're on bright screens until midnight, you're sending your body confusing signals. Bright light at night suppresses melatonin and disrupts your circadian rhythm.
What helps: Dim lights after sunset. Reduce screen time before bed. Blue light blocking glasses if you need to be on screens.
Meal timing: Eating late at night disrupts your body's overnight repair and restoration processes. It confuses your circadian rhythm.
What helps: Try to finish dinner by 7 or 8pm most nights. Give your body a natural overnight fasting window.
Nervous system state: When your nervous system is chronically activated—when your body thinks you're under threat—it keeps you in lighter sleep stages. Because deep sleep makes you vulnerable.
What helps: Morning light actually helps with this. It regulates your nervous system as well as your circadian rhythm.
What You Can Do This Week
If you're exhausted despite sleeping enough, here's what I'd suggest:
Start with morning light. Just that one thing.
Set an alarm for whatever time sunrise is where you are. Put on a raincoat if needed. Go outside.
Stand there for 10 minutes. Face the direction of the sun even if you can't see it.
Do this every day for a week. Even on grey days. Especially on grey days.
Don't expect dramatic changes immediately. Your body needs time to recalibrate.
But after a week, notice how you feel. Is your morning energy slightly better? Are you waking up feeling a bit more rested? Are your afternoon crashes less severe?
If yes—keep going. Give it a month. See what shifts.
Why I'm Telling You This
I'm telling you this because I know what it's like to feel exhausted despite doing everything "right".
I know what it's like to blame yourself. To think maybe you just need better discipline. To wonder what's wrong with you.
And I know what it's like to dismiss solutions that sound too simple.
"Just go outside in the morning" sounds too basic to work. Especially when you're dealing with chronic exhaustion and you've already tried so many things.
But sometimes the simple things are what we're missing.
Not because we don't know about them. But because we've convinced ourselves they won't work for us.
"My climate is too grey"
"I'm up before sunrise"
"I can't change my schedule"
I had all those excuses too.
And I was wrong.
Want to go deeper?
This is just one piece of restoring circadian alignment. In this week's podcast episode, I break down all the factors affecting sleep quality despite adequate duration—cortisol timing, evening light, meal timing, nervous system activation, and what to expect as you implement these changes.
📥 Want a quick start guide? Download my free guide: 3 Hidden Signals Your Body Is Missing — francesnorgate.com/resources
💬 Reply to this and tell me: Have you been making the "grey day" excuse? Or what other excuse have you been using to avoid morning light?
I read every response.
— Frances
