The Beauty of Darkness- Day and Night

This article is updated with information!

It is not about the book “the beauty of darkness,” where a terminally ill girl receives visions in the night. This post is about the beauty of darkness and the health effect on all life on Earth. Life on Earth is submitted to cycles, like the circadian cycle, necessary for repairing cells at night while needing light during the day. In former times the sunlight wasn’t darkened by the polluted industrial air. There has been no industry.

The sun’s radiation could reach the Earth without any hinder and spent her life-giving warmth to all life on Earth. Nowadays, the air is polluted, and the sunlight is shielded in a bad way which has an unhealthy effect on all life.

The same occurs at night. You have to be in the deepest forest or in Nature to have a natural night where you only see the lights of the moon and stars, otherwise complete darkness. We need the darkness to recover our body cells in the night, and the night is for recharging and repairing our cells. But our nights have turned into light-polluted experiences that keep people and animals awake.

The circadian rhythm is a life force all life on Earth depends on,  deeply disturbed in humans and animals living in the cities and areas where there is a lot of air pollution and no real day and night rhythm anymore, called light pollution. I know many people are afraid of the night, and the sunlight, living an artificial life feeling sick very often because they use a lot of light at night and sun protection during the day which disturbs the sleep and Vitamin D production, as well the bodily detox system at night.

However, there are modern movements where people try to switch off every light during the night, and electricity, keeping the night black-dark to improve their sleep and health. Combined with gazing in the sunlight in the early morning hours gives the circadian rhythm a reset. Follow me through the article, and I will explain to you the importance of Day and Night.

The Circadian Rhythm

The circadian rhythm or cycle is a natural endogenous process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle within 24 hours. Any function in the organism depends on this cycle that responds to the environment. These 24- hour rhythms are regulated by the circadian clock in all life, even cyanobacteria and fungi. According to Wikipedia, circadian comes from ‘circa,’ a Latin word, meaning around or approximately, and ‘Diem, meaning day.

24- hour processes are generally called diurnal rhythms, which describe the environmental processes. Circadian rhythms are adjusted to the local environment by external cues like light, temperatures, and redox cycles. If the sleep cycle is abnormally disturbed, this phenomenon is called, in the clinical term, a circadian rhythm sleep disorder.

The rhythm is present in the sleeping and feeding pattern of animals, and humans, showing the dependence of other functions as body temperature, brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration, and other biological activities.

Research has shown that the interrupted cycle in mutant mice has demonstrated how important the body clocks are for cellular/metabolic processes. The mice became hyperphagic and obese, indicating an altered glucose metabolism. The circadian rhythm is linked to the sleep-wake cycle. If this cycle is interrupted through working the night shift or flying through other timezones, it also affects the metabolic, hormonal, CNS electrical, or neurotransmitter rhythm.

The Effect of the Day

The effect of the day on our mood is visible to all of us. If we have a dark rainy day, we feel depressed or melancholic, or missing energy. The sunlight gives us a boost of energy, lifting our mood. Sunlight means the production of Vitamin D3( it is a hormone).  This vitamin is essential for many processes in our body, such as strong bones and many metabolic and hormonal functions. We are a vulnerable creation where everything works together, as all life on Earth, some more complicated, some more simple. Humans depend on seasonal periods and weather conditions, light and darkness, and all animals and plants. Sunlight is so vital to all our bodily processes. When winter is over, we all long for the light and warmth of the sun, giving us a great feeling. You can observe insects coming out of their winter shelters, birds beginning to build nests for their breed, all life is starting again, especially reproductive life. However, sunlight is vital for our health, for nearly all processes.

Because of air pollution, the sun is darkened, and if you live in the northern hemisphere, it could be that you don’t get enough sunlight even in summer. Combined with sun protection, you will certainly never have enough Vitamin D3 production. All autoimmune diseases show a striking deficiency of vitamin D3 in the blood. Autoimmune disorders are on the rise in so-called civilized societies is not a surprise. Civilized = artificial!

The sun is also essential for the circadian rhythm affecting all bodily functions. While wearing dark sunglasses in summer, staying awake all evening in rooms with artificial light, watching television, or being busy on the internet, we interrupt our circadian cycle, damaging our body, mind, and eyes. The number of people who have a mutated sleeping rhythm or suffering from insomnia is devastating, and it affects all bodily processes. Also, did you ever ask yourself why there are so many cataract operations of the eyes?

There is a movement where people are getting up early in the morning when the sun starts to rise and do sun gazing without glasses or any protection to reset their circadian cycle. I have tried this, and it works great.

The air pollution in big cities has done a lot of harm to all life. In the first weeks of Corona, while people had to stay in lockdown, the air was suddenly so clean due to the absence of traffic on the streets and in the air caused by the enormous traffic of planes.  Amazing! It shows the world in which we live; under these circumstances, most people are not even aware of anymore; it is so common for them. They are used to a damaging lifestyle and life. 

The Effect of the Night

In former times when people had no artificial light in their house and not on the streets, people followed their circadian rhythm, getting up early with the sun, going to bed when it was dark. They have been adapted to the seasons. Since we have the light, our problems have increased. You will pay the price if you live in the city and the street lights shine into your sleeping room. Our bodies need the darkness in the night to recover and repair their cells. Many people don’t fall asleep or stay asleep due to the artificial lights they have in their houses or on the street. Our circadian rhythm needs us to sleep in complete darkness as Nature has intended, but our artificial world with all the light is a disturbing factor. Going to bed early, using dimed light in a warm spectrum, or better no light would be better for us, incredibly not the blue light of Led and our computers, which also interrupt our health. Combined with the electrical radiation and wifi in our houses, we will suffer illness and premature death, which already happens. Our luxurious lifestyle has made us ill, has created many diseases!

When I worked on night duty, I loved to have very little light on; walking through the dark halls and watching over the patients’ sleep has given me a beautiful feeling. I loved the darkness of the night, the quietness, and the peace, not the noisy day with all visitors and people coming over the floor and the telephone ringing.  My problems started after being awake all night, needing lots of cups of coffee to stay awake during the night, not falling asleep in the morning, or being awake already at lunchtime, which has undoubtedly impacted my health. It is stressful what night shifters suffer during their working hours, and they are hardly paid for their work.

Chinese medicine warns people to work night shifts due to the enormous toll on their bodies and minds. The night is there to get rest, recover, and recharge.

The Beauty of Darkness

I don’t know, but maybe not many of us have been able to sleep in the darkness of a forest under a sky full of stars. Sleeping grounded on Earth in Nature is something people need to get used to, and most people don’t know how it is sleeping in Nature. However, I know people who go camping in their holidays, primarily close to the sea or directly on the beach. They are returning from their holidays completely recharged and rested.

It is a fantastic feeling to sleep in Nature, listening to the sounds of the sea, or forest, or mountains. I always loved to spend my holiday camping, and however, camping on the camping ground with others is not the same. Ok, you don’t watch television, which is already great for your health, but you still have the lights shining all night on such a camping place.

In New Zealand, a friend of mine and I were driving with a car along the coastline of both islands, and wherever we stopped in the evening, we stayed and slept in a hotel, motel, backpackers, but often in the car. The southern sky is impressive, full of stars. In the conservatory park Tasman, we had some great nights sleeping under the beautiful sky. The memories will always stay with us. Blessed are the people who live free in Nature or can spend many nights outside civilization.

We also have this beautiful sky in the northern hemisphere, but we do not see much of the stars because of the lights in the cities. I believe this is different in the Scandinavian countries. In Ireland, I could see the stars very bright shining as well. Being in Nature during the night, the scenery, the beauty of darkness is breathtaking. But, of course, I understand that people don’t like to be outside at night. People living in the light and air polluted cities in this world will not know the luxury of a beautiful, peaceful night in Nature.

I  have some weak shining solar lights in my garden, but not any other lamp, so animals and birds are not disturbed. Of course, neighbors have lights in their gardens, but luckily, it is not affecting my garden. 🙂 Animals and birds have the same circadian rhythm and need darkness to rest and recover; exceptions are bats and hedgehogs and night-active animals and birds, which rhythm is the other way around. Also, some do hibernate during the winter.

Final Thought

We have already gone too far in the case of pollution of our environment. All life is paying the price! Our health is declining by all the ill making comfort of our artificial world. People, who are sensitive to all the pollution, are forced to live in the countryside, or in the cities, buying all the stuff needed for the protection of their health, like an air filter, a water filter, darkening their sleeping room, painting the walls with paint that doesn’t let radiation in. It has become difficult to live in this stressful environment, but most people can’t afford to move house to a place where they can live a more peaceful and healthy life. Our circadian cycle is disrupted, but many people have no clue or interest. Education is needed so that people can take up their responsibility for their health.

What do you think? Do you know what I am talking about, and did you experience nights in Nature under a sky full of stars? Do you experience health problems due to the fact of disturbed circadian cycle? Maybe you didn’t know until now? I would love to hear your opinion and experiences.

All the Best,

Sylvie