This weird morning habit could help you beat your insomnia

Having trouble sleeping at night is a pretty common problem in the U.S. About 35 percent of American adults have suffered from insomnia at some point in their life, which means there are a lot of cranky folks out there who aren’t sleeping enough. There are all sorts of ways you can treat insomnia, though, and many of them don’t have to include medication.

When it comes to holistic treatments that will help you fall asleep, you’ve probably heard of the most popular ones: journal what’s on your mind, drink chamomile tea, don’t bring electronics to bed, etc. But there’s one weird habit to treat insomnia that you probably haven’t heard of yet.

If you get exposure to the sun in the mid-morning, you might be able to sleep better at night.

It sounds odd, but David K. Randall, author of Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep, promised that it works.

“Getting more sun exposure in the midmorning can help readjust the brain’s internal clock and make it easier to fall asleep later that night," Randall told NYMag.com.

In his book, Randall shows that sun exposure can help prevent jet lag and allow you to sleep better at night. It’s a practice that many professional athletes use when they’re traveling. If you’re battling insomnia, he suggested you get yourself outside in the mid-morning and soak up all the sun you can, because your body will positively respond to that later on at night when you’re dying to get some shuteye.

So make it a point to walk around outside in nature before you settle in at the office. All that natural light will help you catch your beauty sleep.