Absolutely. I wrote an article on this

https://open.substack.com/pub/zaidkdahhaj/p/why-cloudy-days-are-still-worth-stepping?r=mkt9&utm_medium=ios

What a disgusting change

We must take back lighting

The most sophisticated healing technology in existence is a sunrise

Think of it as a reset button for your body

It’s a technology older and more precise than anything humans have ever engineered

At first light, red and infrared wavelengths flood the environment, charging mitochondria and priming cellular repair

As the sun rises higher, UV-A arrives, stimulating nitric oxide release, circadian hormone signaling, and the POMC pathway that ties together mood, energy, skin protection, and immune function

Then UV-B delivers its irreplaceable gift, Vitamin D3 production, the master regulator of immunity and cellular health

Understand that this sequence isn’t random. It’s an orchestrated rollout of light frequencies, a code written into biological systems over billions of years

Every ancestor before you relied on this signal to synchronize metabolism, brain chemistry, and sleep

Compare that to modern technologies.. pills, lab manufactured supplements, artificial lights.. all of them clumsy, fragmented attempts to imitate what the sunrise does effortlessly each morning

When you watch a sunrise, you aren’t just seeing light, you’re witnessing the most advanced regenerative technology ever deployed on Earth

It costs nothing

It carries no side effects

It works flawlessly

Forget the fads, tap into what’s timeless

“Sun ages the skin”

Here’s what you’re really saying:

“I’ve been programmed to fear the sun without context. I don’t know that UV-A, UV-B, infrared, and visible light interact like a symphony, not a single note. I don’t know that progressive exposure builds a tan, strengthening skin the way lifting builds muscle. I don’t know that circadian biology is the master regulator of every anti-aging process, from autophagy to collagen repair. So instead of first principles, I repeat fear slogans as if they were wisdom”

Don’t be a parrot who repeats pre-packaged slogans without understanding the biology underneath

Too many recycle a dermatology marketing script, word for word, without ever digging into the mechanisms, context, or nuance

Take those sunglasses off. Full spectrum sunlight into the eyes peripherally controls every major hormone and neurotransmitter in your body. There is a direct endocrine connection. The eyes are simply an extension of the brain and skin. One neuroectoderm circadian unit with no separation and full on bidirectional connection. Let God’s light grace your bare eyes

When your circadian rhythm is chronically disrupted, your body builds up wear and tear over time

This is what we call allostatic load

The retina specifically plays a key role in setting your master and peripheral circadian clocks through light, so if it gets damaged through isolated blue light exposure (as in most people’s experience), it adds extra stress to the entire system

Ongoing circadian disruption slowly wears your body down, and retinal damage makes that stress worse because it disrupts how your brain senses and responds to light

Retinal damage does NOT stay local

It weakens your body’s ability to keep time, amplifying the overall physiological stress from circadian disruption

Collagen, elastin, and every other part of the body that signifies youth are meant to be used, not preserved like fragile relics

The weakest thing you can do is orient your entire life around clinging to these components of youth, because in doing so, you’re automatically playing defense against a loss that is both certain and unavoidable

Youth is temporary by design

Its purpose is to be expressed, exhausted, and transformed into wisdom, resilience, and depth

To obsess over holding onto it is to miss the greater game of life, growth

But in all of this, there’s a paradox

When you live in circadian alignment, you actually get the best of both worlds

Morning and daytime exposure to red and infrared light stimulate the body’s own production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid, keeping your skin youthful, your tissues resilient, and your life vibrant, all without obsessively chasing the anti-aging gimmicks

You live fully, and in return, nature keeps you both youthful and healthy

Decentralized wisdom, at its finest

A bolt of lightning is nothing more than massive charge separation and rapid discharge across a potential difference

Mitochondria do the same thing, but on a cellular scale. They strip electrons from food, pump protons to create a charge gradient (~150 - 180 mV), then discharge that gradient through ATP synthase, a molecular turbine

That proton-motive force is literally a nanoscopic electrical storm

Here’s what’s crazy

The mitochondrial inner membrane potential is around –150 mV

Given the membrane is only ~5 nm thick, the electric field across it is on the order of 30 million volts per meter (30 MV/m)

That’s stronger than the electric field in a lightning bolt

Your mitochondria are biological lightning engines that run billions of tiny lightning strikes per second, inside you, to keep you alive

Put some respect on God’s work

On nano and “non-nano” sunscreens

1. Your skin circadian driven organ

Barrier function (stratum corneum tightness, lipid organization, permeability) varies by time of day, usually strongest at night and weakest during the day

Sunscreens are mostly applied in the morning/daytime, precisely when skin is naturally more permeable and meant to interact with full spectrum sunlight

Nanoparticles slipping in during this window is problematic

2. Metal ions in the blood act as circadian clock disruptors

Zn²⁺ is not neutral. It’s a powerful cofactor in transcription factors, enzymes, and synaptic signaling

Sudden spikes from non-dietary routes (skin → blood → CSF) could scramble local zinc homeostasis that’s usually tuned to food intake timing and gut absorption

Titanium (TiO₂ NPs) is even trickier because bulk TiO₂ is inert, but nanosized TiO₂ generates EXCESS reactive oxygen species under UV, throwing off the intricate balance involved with ROS and RNS within the system

3. Consider the circadian consequences

🌞 Melatonin suppression at the wrong place/time

Zinc and titanium nanoparticles can accumulate in mitochondria, altering ROS signaling

Melatonin is not just made in the pineal gland. It’s also made locally in mitochondria via the sub-cellular form

if nanoparticles hijack redox homeostasis, melatonin’s nighttime signal weakens

🌞 Central vs peripheral clock confusion

The skin clock reads the light in your environment, while the liver clock reads the food environment. Introducing artificial nanoparticle stressors through the skin is like giving the skin clock false input, which then feeds back to the SCN

🌞 Neurotoxicity risk

If Zn²⁺ ions cross into cerebral spinal fluid, they can modulate NMDA receptors, excitability, and even contribute to neurodegeneration

This is especially concerning when exposure happens daily in sync with sunlight, the very zeitgeber meant to entrain brain clocks

•••

Normally, sunlight enters through your skin and sends clean signals to your cells and brain about what time of day it is

When you cover your skin with nanoparticles, you’re letting tiny foreign particles slip inside

Instead of sunlight guiding your body’s clocks, these particles interfere with the signal, creating confusion in how your cells and brain read light

This blunts the natural circadian benefits of sunlight (progressive UV tolerance, melanin signaling, nitric oxide release) while layering in an unnatural, time dependent toxic load

From a circadian standpoint, ZnO and TiO₂ nanoparticles in sunscreens aren’t just a toxicology problem

They’re an information problem

They introduce chaos into a system that relies on precise temporal signaling from light, food, and redox balance

Put simply, they trick your body into thinking they’re part of sunlight’s signal, but instead they scramble your internal clocks

•••

Both nano and so called “non-nano” sunscreen options have issues, just different flavors of them

Nano (ZnO, TiO₂)

Nanoparticles can slip through the skin into blood and even CSF, disrupting metal balance, oxidative stress, and circadian signaling

Nano TiO₂ also acts like a photocatalyst, generating excess free radicals under UV light that damage cells

When washed off, these particles pollute rivers and oceans, harming plankton, corals, and fish

Yet companies still label them “safe mineral sunscreens,” where “safe” often only means not immediately irritating, not truly circadian or mitochondrial safe

Non-Nano (larger ZnO, TiO₂ particles)

“Non-nano” particles are often just slightly bigger than the nano cutoff, but can still fragment into smaller pieces on the skin

They block UV-B, the very wavelength range needed for Vitamin D3 production, while leaving a white cast that companies often “fix” by secretly blending in smaller particles

Even larger ZnO can still leach zinc ions into sweat and the bloodstream, just at lower levels than true nanoparticles

Nano = higher penetration risk + excess ROS stress

Non-nano = less penetration, but still blocks critical light wavelengths and often hides nano fragments anyway

Both confuse the circadian system by replacing evolutionary light signaling with an artificial barrier or intrusion

This is why I’m so strict on my recommendation of no sunscreen use, in any form

What I just laid out here is informed consent in practice, not the typical nonsense of “use this XYZ sunscreen to avoid burns”

I choose no sunscreen because the body only adapts in the way it should by respecting circadian principles and implementing progressive overload for melanin development

Sunlight exposure when UV-A and UV-B are out isn’t to be abused

It must be approached with gradual, mindful exposure rather than reckless overexposure

And if you choose to be in scenarios that increase the risk of overexposure, while using any sunscreen option, that’s your choice

Again, informed consent

The story I hope people will tell when I’m gone is that I reminded them the sun was enough

That I helped them see their body as perfectly designed, not broken

That I have them the tools to reclaim their health without fear, dogma, or dependence on a system that profits from disease management and sickness

If people say, ‘Because of Zaid, I started watching sunrise, developed a mad tan, changed how I lived, and passed that wisdom to my kids,’ then I’ve done my job

That’s the legacy I want

A ripple effect of people realigning with nature’s rhythm. Circadian alignment en masse

Blue light has the ability to shrink adipocytes (fat cells) and make them more efficient at burning fat

But wasn’t this study done using isolated blue light, divorced from full spectrum sunlight?

You’d be correct

I will always argue that the results would be way more impressive with full spectrum sunlight because it shows us the full effect, rather than just proof of mechanism

This study narrowed in on 450 - 480 nanometer blue light to show melanopsin/TRPC signaling in fat cells

That’s elegant for mechanistic proof, but it only scratches the surface

In nature, light is never monochromatic. Full spectrum sunlight is polychromatic and carries a dynamic orchestra of wavelengths (UV-A, UV-B, violet, green, red, infrared), all working in layered synergy

What we see in this paper is the bare minimum effect. Blue alone tweaks lipolysis and adipokine signaling

But in the real world, those signals would be amplified, modulated, and stabilized by the rest of the spectrum

Researchers often isolate a single wavelength to prove mechanism, in this case, that subcutaneous white adipocytes (scWAT) have a melanopsin/TRPC mediated light sensitive pathway

By showing that just blue light can trigger measurable currents and metabolic changes (lipolysis, adiponectin/leptin secretion shifts, reduced lipid droplet size), they establish causality

Melanopsin (the blue light sensing opsin found throughout the body) absorbs in this range and directly mediates fat cell signaling

This study shows proof of principle

Your fat cells are literally photoreceptive, they “see” blue light through melanopsin and change metabolic behavior in response

What does this mean from a physiological standpoint?

That under the sun, blue light within the full spectrum helps tune fat metabolism, aligning lipolysis and adipokine signaling with the day’s activity/eating cycle

But, this is a two way street

It also means that isolated blue light at night will distort adipocyte signaling, promoting fat storage, leptin/adiponectin imbalance, and metabolic dysfunction through circadian disruption

If the researchers used full spectrum sunlight (or at least a solar simulator), they likely would have seen:

🌞 Greater lipid mobilization because of red/infrared synergy

🌞 Stronger leptin/adiponectin modulation (hormonal entrainment, not just a stress response)

🌞 Circadian phase reinforcement with UV + blue acting as zeitgebers

🌞 Less oxidative “noise” or stress compared to blue in isolation

Instead of proving that fat cells can sense blue, the paper would have demonstrated that sunlight orchestrates fat metabolism through opsins in fat itself

That’s a paradigm shifting story

New Substack article is live

https://open.substack.com/pub/zaidkdahhaj/p/the-sun-is-the-original-gym?r=mkt9&utm_medium=ios

At least 10-15 minutes of both sunrise and UV-A rise are my rule of thumbs. I see a lot of people wearing sunglasses during the AM. It’s a major problem

The power of circadian principles

Time to start watching sunrise every AM

Pair it with UV-A rise, which typically happens around an hour after sunrise

You’ll never complain about energy again

Best part is that it’s not a hack, it’s etched into our circadian, diurnal species. Completely free. Damn near effortless once you learn how to go to bed on time. Provides other health benefits as well

Download MyCircadian app to know specific times according to where you live

If it’s cloudy, the principle of waking at sunrise and going outside remains the same

You look cooler when you show off your eyes, the jewels of the Universe

This is how I know you’re legit

This is the way

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Thanks brother! Absolute legend ⚡️

If you’re not dedicating time to proper sunbathing with a large portion of your skin exposed, you’re not giving yourself the chance to produce meaningful amounts of vitamin D3 from UV-B exposure

For some reason, many people assume that simply going to a baseball game without sunglasses or a hat, while keeping most of their skin covered with clothes, will somehow generate sufficient vitamin D3

Absolutely not

You need actual skin in the game at the correct times and in circadian alignment

Sunlight must strike bare skin directly, and ideally in a consistent, intentional way. It’s not something you stumble into by accident. It requires a dedicated practice

Watching sunrise?

Great, you’re still not making D3

Making it dark at night?

Great, still not making D3

UV-A rise?

Fantastic, still not making D3

You must be sunbathing with BARE SKIN when UV-B is present to begin the conversion process in your body

Let me remind you of the conversion process involved here:

1. UV-B hits the skin and penetrates into the epidermis (outer most layer of the skin)

2. UV-B changes the shape of the starting molecule known as 7-DHC (7-dehydrocholesterol)

3. This UV-B induced change turns 7-DHC into Pre-Vitamin D3. With heat, pre-vitamin D3 naturally rearranges into Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)

4. That’s where binding for transport occurs. Vitamin D3 cannot float freely in the blood, so it binds to a carrier called DBP (Vitamin D Binding Protein), forming DBP-VD3

5. Once bound, it moves through the bloodstream where it can later be activated in the liver and kidneys into the full active hormone form (calcitriol)

I have bad news if you use any form of SPF as well, so prepare yourself

SPF 15 blocks ~93% of UV-B

SPF 30 blocks ~97% of UV-B

SPF 50 blocks ~98 of UV-B

SPF 100 blocks ~99% of UV-B

So if you use any form of sunscreen, whether chemical or mineral based, you’re blocking the very light wavelength range needed to produce D3 (also one of your most potent anti-cancer hormones)

Negligible conversion is happening, even if you do a shitty job of applying your sunscreen considering the chronic circadian disruption that a modern lifestyle creates, further worsening D3 status

People who don’t have a strong circadian education are likely to make these simple mistakes

And I see it time and time again

All hormones and neurotransmitters in the body are directly controlled through full spectrum sunlight into the eyes peripheral during the day

Sunglasses in 99% of scenarios are a net negative because they go directly against the first principles of evolutionary circadian biology

There is no argument to be made for the use of sunglasses outside of active glare

The optometrists and ophthalmologists who try to push this narrative around UV ocular damage are out of their depth. They don’t know anything about circadian mechanisms, nor how light relates to a systems view of biology

If you believe full spectrum sunlight inherently causes skin cancer or damage, your mind has been hijacked by propaganda. The good news is that truth is redeemable through circadian education

Sunglasses, sunscreen, contact lenses, tanning beds, and prescription glasses are all man made inventions that, intentionally or not, disrupt the body’s circadian hormetic system

What once evolved to calibrate itself precisely through full spectrum sunlight is now constantly interfered with by synthetic barriers and distortions

The immediate impact of these inventions is obvious

Altered light input to the eyes and skin, disrupted circadian signaling to the brain, and changes in how the human body interact with UV, infrared, plus the rest of the spectrum

But it’s the second and third order consequences that are truly devastating, and largely invisible to the average person

When you distort the timing, spectrum, or intensity of light reaching the body, you alter hormonal rhythms, neurotransmitter balance, mitochondrial redox states, and even genetic expression through light responsive pathways

Over years, this leads to downstream issues in metabolism, fertility, mood regulation, sleep quality, and immune function

What seems like a simple convenience, a pair of sunglasses or daily sunscreen, compounds over time into chronic, systemic circadian disruption

You’re playing with fire when you expose yourself to isolated UV light without the natural balancing forces of red and infrared wavelengths that are always present in full spectrum sunlight.

Stripping UV away from its biological context disrupts the protective and regenerative mechanisms that evolved to handle it.