Blind Mice, Sunlight, and GainZ

It is true that you can learn a fitness lesson from blind mice.

Before I get to that point, a short primer on the role of light and your sleep which affects your gainZ.

Your circadian rhythm is regulated primarily via light (photons) entering into the bottom part of the eyeball. This sends a signal to your brain and your pineal gland that controls the release of melatonin.

It appears your brain is affected by 3 main methods:

intensity of light (outside is far superior than inside even on overcast days)

timing (getting sunlight earlier is better than later)

the angle of the sun.

In short, more light into the ole eyeball in the AM when the sun is up and at a lower angle helps set/ anchor your circadian rhythm.

This allows you to be more awake during the day to keep your boss happy and set gym PRs; plus, be sleepy at night…. Therefore, we must needs sleep.

Back to our blind mice.

“Additional studies reported that mice lacking rods and cones were still capable of synchronizing their circadian rhythms to light-dark cycles [12], thus demonstrating that an undiscovered photo pigment/photoreceptor in the mammalian retina was responsible for the photoentrainment of circadian rhythms.” (Tosini, G. 2016)

Translation: Even though the mice did not have rods and cones for normal vision, they were still able to determine light-dark cycles which enabled the research nerds to uncover a new striation in the eye.

Bonus!

You can combine light into your eye ballZ w movement via an AM walk without sun glasses on.

Better energy during the day, better sleep and more movement. The triple win!

Dr. Mike

PS- If you want to learn more about sleep, I have a full module on it in the Flex Diet Cert, opening in April again. If you can’t wait, check out the children’s books for adults my wife and I wrote called Mr. Mole Goes To Sleep.

Reference:

Tosini, G., Ferguson, I., & Tsubota, K. (2016). Effects of blue light on the circadian system and eye physiology. Molecular vision, 22, 61–72.

Rock on!

Dr. Mike T Nelson

PhD, MSME, CISSN, CSCS Carrick Institute Adjunct Professor Dr. Mike T. Nelson has spent 18 years of his life learning how the human body works, specifically focusing on how to properly condition it to burn fat and become stronger, more flexible, and healthier. He’s has a PhD in Exercise Physiology, a BA in Natural Science, and an MS in Biomechanics. He’s an adjunct professor and a member of the American College of Sports Medicine. He’s been called in to share his techniques with top government agencies. The techniques he’s developed and the results Mike gets for his clients have been featured in international magazines, in scientific publications, and on websites across the globe.