Camping helps you feel more rested

A study claims a week of camping giving a break from artificial light helps you feel more rested.

Getting away from it all really does make you feel well-rested.

A new study published in Current Biology says camping for a week can help improve sleep by resetting the body’s natural clock.

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder found that spending time in the great outdoors —
and away from alarm clocks, electric lights and other modern distractions — can sync up sleep patterns to the sunrise and sunset. That’s the sleep schedule humans are meant to have, scientists say.

The study found that when artificial light is available, people tend to stay up much later than they should.

“What’s remarkable is how, when we’re exposed to natural sunlight, our clocks perfectly become in synch in less than a week to the solar day,” professor Kenneth Wright, who led the study, said in a report on the university’s website.

“Some people are morning types and others like to stay up later. What we found is that natural light-dark cycles provide a strong signal that reduces the differences that we see among people—night owls and early birds—dramatically,” Wright added.

For those who can’t take a week off to go camping, similar benefits can be achieved by turning off the lights earlier at night, dimming computer screens and by beginning the day with a walk outside.

Read more here