How to get more daylight when the days get shorter

Updated 6 October 2026.

In summer, daylight often comes with whatever you’re already doing. Getting to work. Buying lunch. Meeting someone afterwards.

In winter, you can spend the whole day under a ceiling. By the time you close your laptop, the daylight you meant to get has gone.

Try to get outside during daylight each day, with some morning light where your schedule allows. If your commute happens in darkness, look for a daylight break during work, and use ordinary errands to get outdoors.

For the timing of this year’s change, see when the clocks go back and what it means for sleep and daylight.

Why does daylight matter for sleep?

Daylight helps your body clock stay aligned with the day, influencing when you feel alert and when you’re ready for sleep.

Light reaching your eyes provides a timing signal. Morning light generally shifts your body clock earlier; evening light can shift it later. Crawford and colleagues explain both effects in the British Sleep Society’s position statement, published in October 2024.

That’s one reason sleep advice extends beyond bedtime. If you’re exhausted but still alert at night, our tired-but-wired article explains how your body clock and the pressure to sleep work together.

Is morning daylight always best?

Morning daylight is particularly useful if your sleep tends to drift later or getting up is difficult. The Sleep Charity recommends a short morning walk alongside a consistent wake time.

Walk part of your commute, take breakfast outside when the weather allows, or do an errand before settling down to work.

If you’re already falling asleep and waking much earlier than you want, deliberately adding very early light could push that timing further forward. Persistent early waking is worth discussing with a clinician before using timed bright light to change your sleep.

If your alarm goes off before sunrise, carry on with your morning and look for an opportunity to get outside once it’s light.

How can you get daylight when you work indoors?

Use a daytime break for getting outside, especially when neither end of your commute offers daylight.

For office workers, lunch may be the most reliable opening. In its guidance for winter seasonal depression, Mind suggests getting outside at lunchtime if you work indoors.

Working from home creates a different trap: you can reach your desk without ever leaving the house. Try a short walk before opening your laptop, or collect lunch instead of eating beside your keyboard. These are ways to fit daylight into the day without adding another elaborate routine.

A school run, shopping trip or journey to an appointment can serve the same purpose when it falls in daylight. On weekends, move an outing you’d normally leave until late afternoon to earlier in the day.

Does daylight still count when it’s cloudy?

Yes. You can get useful outdoor daylight without sunshine.

The Sleep Charity’s adult sleep guidance explains that natural light can still be effective on cloudy or grey days, helping your body clock stay in step with the day.

You don’t need to wait for blue sky. In a British winter, that could leave you waiting quite a while.

How many minutes outside do you need?

There isn’t a universal minimum in minutes: the effect depends on the light, its timing and your individual needs.

Try ten minutes as a manageable starting point, then stay longer when you can. That’s a practical suggestion, not an established minimum.

Choose something easy to repeat, such as a short walk after breakfast or before lunch. A longer outing on Saturday can be enjoyable too; it doesn’t have to carry your entire week’s outdoor time.

Is sitting by a window useful?

Sitting near a window is an option when getting outside is difficult. Mind includes it in its winter self-care advice.

Open the curtains and use a seat with natural light if one is available. Combine that with time outdoors when work, weather or mobility allows.

Should you change your lighting in the evening too?

Reducing bright light as bedtime approaches can support the evening transition. The Sleep Charity recommends less exposure to bright light in the evening.

One way to do that is to use a lamp once you’ve finished tasks that need strong lighting. Keep enough light to read comfortably and move around safely.

For the rest of that transition, see how to wind down before bed when your mind is busy.

Do you need a SAD lamp?

You can start making room for daylight without buying a lamp. A light box is a separate option used for seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression with a seasonal pattern.

The NHS recommends speaking to a GP before trying light therapy. Some eye conditions and medicines that increase sensitivity to light can make it unsuitable.

If winter brings persistent low mood, loss of interest in things you usually enjoy or difficulty managing everyday life, speak to your GP. Those changes deserve attention beyond rearranging your lunch break.

For tomorrow, choose one ordinary thing you can do outdoors while it’s light. Start there.

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