Have We Become Afraid of Light?
AnneMarie Smellie is a UK-based neurodevelopmental practitioner, kinesiologist, and hypnotherapist with over 20 years’ experience helping children and adults build resilience, regulate anxiety, and strengthen brain-body foundations for learning and life.
As I write this, the UK is experiencing yet another heatwave. News bulletins are filled with warnings to stay indoors, avoid the midday sun, wear hats, apply sunscreen and drink plenty of water. It's sensible advice.
Heat exhaustion and dehydration are real risks, particularly for older adults and vulnerable people. But amidst all the warnings, I can't help wondering whether we've unintentionally started to fear something our bodies have relied upon for millions of years.
Light. For almost all of human history, our lives revolved around the rising and setting of the sun. We woke with daylight, worked outdoors, moved our bodies, and rested when darkness fell. Our biology evolved in harmony with natural light.
Today, life looks very different. Many of us wake before sunrise, spend our working day under artificial lighting, travel in enclosed vehicles, and return home to more artificial light before falling asleep with the glow of a television or mobile phone.
Ironically, when the sun finally does appear, our instinct is often to avoid it altogether. I'm certainly not suggesting we should ignore advice about excessive sun exposure or the dangers of burning our skin. Protecting ourselves during extreme heat is important. But perhaps there is another conversation worth having. What if our bodies need light in ways we've only just begun to understand?
Light is more than something we see
When most people think about sunlight, vitamin D immediately comes to mind. Yet scientists now recognise that light influences far more than our bones.
Natural light plays an important role in regulating our circadian rhythm, our internal body clock, which affects sleep, hormone production, mood, metabolism, and many other biological processes. Morning light helps tell our brain that it's time to be awake, while darkness signals that it's time to rest.
It's one reason why so many people struggle with poor sleep, low energy, and feeling "out of sync" in our modern indoor world. Perhaps we've become disconnected from one of nature's most fundamental health signals.
Looking beyond what we put into our bodies
For much of modern healthcare, the focus has understandably been on what we consume. The right medication. The right supplement. The right vitamin. The next superfood.
These approaches undoubtedly have their place, but I often wonder whether we sometimes overlook another important question. Instead of asking, "What should I put into my body?" perhaps we should also be asking, "What does my body need in order to function as it was designed?"
As a kinesiologist, this question sits at the heart of everything I do. Many of the people who come to see me aren't looking for another pill. They're looking for answers. Why are they exhausted despite sleeping? Why won't an old injury fully recover? Why do they feel they're functioning at only 70% of themselves?
Often, there isn't one simple answer. It's a combination of stress, nutritional imbalances, poor sleep, gut health, emotional load, and lifestyle. Our bodies are remarkably good at adapting, but eventually they begin to whisper that something isn't quite right. The challenge is that we often don't listen until they start shouting.
A different way of thinking about light
One area of research that has fascinated me over recent years is photobiomodulation. Although the name sounds complex, the principle is surprisingly simple.
Certain wavelengths of light appear to influence cellular activity and may support normal biological processes involved in energy production, tissue repair, and recovery. Research into photobiomodulation is continuing across a wide range of medical and scientific fields, and interest has grown significantly over the past decade.
For me, it's an exciting reminder that our bodies respond not only to the food we eat or the medicines we take, but also to the environment we live in. Light isn't simply something we see. It's information.
My own journey changed my perspective
Like many practitioners, I was initially skeptical about some of the newer technologies emerging in this field. Then I experienced something I couldn't ignore.
A few years ago, I was diagnosed with dry macular degeneration. Like many people, I accepted that it was something I would simply have to live with. After several months of using photobiomodulation technology, I returned for another eye examination. To my surprise, I was told there was no longer any sign of macular degeneration.
It was a deeply personal moment that made me even more curious about the role light may play in supporting the body's own repair mechanisms. Was it proof? No. It was my own experience. But it reminded me to stay open-minded and to continue asking questions rather than assuming we already know all the answers.
Perhaps the heatwave is reminding us of something
As temperatures soar, it's right that we protect ourselves from excessive heat and remain well hydrated. But perhaps this summer also offers another reminder. We are not separate from nature. We are part of it.
Our bodies evolved in a world of natural light, movement, fresh air, and changing seasons. While modern life has brought extraordinary advances, it has also distanced many of us from the environment that shaped our biology.
Maybe the goal isn't to fear the sun or worship it. Maybe it's simply to rediscover balance. Because sometimes the most powerful things supporting our health aren't the newest discoveries at all. Sometimes they're the oldest.
Read more from AnneMarie Smellie
AnneMarie Smellie, Neurodevelopmental Practitioner, Kinesiologist, and Hypnotherapist
AnneMarie Smellie is a UK-based neurodevelopmental practitioner, kinesiologist, and hypnotherapist with over 20 years of clinical experience. She specialises in anxiety, neurodiversity and learning differences, working at the intersection of brain development, nervous-system regulation and emotional resilience. Through her work at Quester Therapies, AnneMarie helps children and adults uncover and address the root causes behind behavioural, emotional, and cognitive challenges. Her writing focuses on practical, compassionate insights that make complex brain-body concepts accessible and empowering.
