Light Exposure Planner
Tell us your UK location and shift type, and we'll build a 24-hour plan showing exactly when to seek bright light, wear blue-blockers, and protect darkness. Handles the UK's enormous seasonal daylight variation automatically.
24-hour light strategy
Your strategy
On a night shift in your location, the light-exposure goal is inverting your normal circadian: bright artificial light at shift start, sunglasses on the commute home, and full darkness during daytime sleep.
- Seek bright artificial light in the first 4 hours of your shift — if you can't get it at work, a 10,000-lux light box at the start of each shift materially helps circadian adaptation.
- On the drive or walk home after your shift, wear blue-blocking sunglasses. Bright morning light on the commute home is the single biggest barrier to daytime sleep quality.
How this schedule is built
Sunrise and sunset times are computed locally from your UK location and date using the NOAA sunrise equation (no external API, works offline). British Summer Time is handled automatically. The 10,000- lux light-box recommendation comes from the body of clinical evidence on bright-light therapy for circadian disorders.
The schedule logic rests on three well-evidenced principles: (1) bright morning light anchors the circadian rhythm and improves mood, (2) blue-spectrum light in the 2 hours before sleep delays melatonin onset and shortens total sleep, and (3) shift workers on permanent nights benefit from the inverse strategy — bright light at shift start, darkness on the commute home, fully darkened bedrooms during daytime sleep.
Use this as guidance rather than a clinical prescription. If you have a diagnosed circadian disorder (delayed sleep phase syndrome, shift work sleep disorder), work with your GP or a specialist sleep clinic.