The evidence is convergent. Multiple independent sources reach the same conclusion, the underlying mechanism is well-characterized, and even the field's most cautious voices treat it as worth doing.
When we look up, maybe it's because these melanopsin cells are in the bottom of our retina, they are, and maybe it's because they're there in order to view sunlight, which is overhead, which it is, but that system of alertness is linked to the position of our eyes. So when we look up and our eyelids are up, it actually has a purpose. It actually creates a wakefulness signal for the brain.
Every Sunday: the week’s new conflicts and verdict changes — and nothing else.
Native comments, Twitter mentions, and Reddit threads about this claim — surfaced together so the conversation isn't fragmented across platforms.
Bookmarking — the dossier-vs-overview split is the right call. Most of the time I want overview; sometimes I want receipts.
Would love a "what would change this verdict" RSS feed. Sign me up if it exists.
if you are feeling tired, it actually can be beneficial
But the important thing to understand is when you are looking down below the level of your nose, you are essentially decelerating your alertness. You're reducing your amount of alertness, it might be subtle, but it's happening. Whereas when you look straight ahead or in particular, when you look up, you're increasing your level of alertness.
When we look down, when our eyelids are slightly closed, it tends to decrease our levels of alertness and increase our levels of sleepiness.
10 minutes of bright outdoor light within the first hour of waking anchors the circadian phase and improves sleep onset that night.
Morning sunlight exposure shifts the cortisol awakening response forward, improving daytime alertness.
Long-term morning sunlight reduces age-related macular degeneration risk.
Sleep regularity predicts all-cause mortality more strongly than sleep duration.
Tracking deep sleep on a wearable accurately reflects EEG-measured slow-wave sleep.
Caffeine has a half-life long enough that consumption after 2pm measurably degrades deep sleep in slow metabolizers.