By: Brigid Bandomer BSN, HWNC-BC
As the weather cools and the days shorten, our biology receives a powerful invitation: slow down, sync up, and recharge.
While most people brace for colds, fatigue, and holiday overwhelm, fall is actually a natural window for restoration — if you know how to align with it.
In this post, we’ll explore five ways to use the changing season to optimize your health, with a special focus on circadian rhythms and mitochondrial support.
☀️ 1. Get Light the Right Way: Vitamin D and Circadian Rhythm in Fall
Fall sunlight still has power — but only for a short while. As we move toward winter, the sun’s angle drops, reducing your ability to make vitamin D through the skin
Use tools like MyCircadianClock or D-Minder to track your local sun exposure window.
📊 Example: Midday sun this week produced ~5,400 IU of vitamin D in 1 hour of unprotected skin exposure.
Why morning and midday light matters:
- Early morning light promotes photobiomodulation (PBM) improving metabolism, mood and decreasing inflammation (Huberman)
- Stimulates vitamin D synthesis (NIH study)
- Signals melatonin production for later sleep (NLM review)
Tips to optimize light:
- Get outside in the morning — even if it’s cloudy or dim
- Avoid sunglasses early in the day
- Sit near windows or take walking breaks if you work indoors
- Prioritize outdoor time through November, before UVB drops off
💡 2. Rethink Artificial Light to Protect Your Sleep and Mood
After sunset, our bodies expect darkness. But modern lighting keeps us in a perpetual summer — confusing our internal clocks.
Even low-level blue light at night can suppress melatonin and disrupt sleep (Harvard Health).
Use lighting intentionally:
- Morning (before sunrise): Use orange/yellow glasses
- Daytime: Seek out natural light, especially under fluorescents
- Evening: Dim lights, use red bulbs, or light a candle
- After dark: Avoid screens or wear red-tinted glasses
🔬 Blue-blocking glasses improve sleep and mood — backed by peer-reviewed research.
🥕 3. Eat Seasonally for Immune and Mitochondrial Support
Your food choices affect your circadian rhythm and mitochondrial function.
Fall is the original harvest season — loaded with antioxidant-rich produce and warming, nourishing meals.
Best fall foods for mitochondria:
- Fatty fish (for vitamin D and omega-3s)
- Mushrooms (can create vitamin D when exposed to sunlight)
- Root vegetables (carrots, beets, parsnips)
- Bone broth, leafy greens, apples, squash
🍂 Seasonal eating supports immune resilience (Frontiers in Nutrition).
✅ Find local food: Weston A. Price Farm Directory
🕒 4. Embrace Scarcity: Fasting and Meal Timing in the Fall
In nature, fall leads to winter — a time of scarcity. You can mimic this gently through time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting.
Why fasting helps:
- Enhances mitochondrial function via mitophagy (Cell Metabolism)
- Strengthens circadian rhythm and metabolic health (Salk Institute)
How to begin:
- Start with 3 meals/day, no snacking
- Stop eating 3 hours before bed
- If you’re already doing that, try a longer fast 1x/week (with guidance)
🧠 Fasting is a form of “seasonal alignment” that helps signal rest, repair, and mitochondrial renewal.
❄️ 5. Let Yourself Feel the Cold: Activate Brown Fat and Resilience
We’re not meant to live in permanent comfort. Strategic cold exposure is one of the most effective — and natural — ways to stimulate your mitochondria.
Benefits of cold exposure:
- Activates brown adipose tissue (BAT) for metabolic boost (Nature Reviews)
- Increases norepinephrine and mood-enhancing endorphins (NIH study)
- Strengthens immune function and reduces inflammation (Journal of Applied Physiology)
Easy cold practices:
- Step outside in the morning without bundling up
- End your shower with 30 seconds of cold
- Try a cold face plunge or brisk walk in the cool air
🔥 Your mitochondria are not built for endless climate control. Let nature remind them how to burn bright.
🍁 Conclusion: Fall Is Nature’s Invitation to Heal
We associate fall with cold and flu season. But maybe the real problem isn’t the season — maybe it’s how we fight against it.
- We stay indoors under artificial light
- We eat sugar from Halloween to New Year’s
- We skip nature and chase productivity
- We avoid cold and overeat comfort food
This season was made for rest, rhythm, and renewal. Let nature show you how.