Let There Be Moonlight: Why Ayurveda Wants You to Reclaim the Night

Inspired by Episode 31 of the Everyday Ayurveda Podcast

We talk a lot about nutrition in Ayurveda — warm foods, oily foods, foods that ground or energize. We talk about rituals and rest, routines and rasa. But there’s one quiet force that governs our entire hormonal orchestra — and it doesn’t come on a plate.

It comes from the sky.

Ayurveda has long taught that we are not separate from nature. That we are subject to the same tides, currents, and rhythms that move the planets, the trees, and yes — the moon. And nowhere is this more evident than in the menstrual cycle.

It’s no coincidence that a healthy menstrual cycle mirrors the length of the lunar cycle — 28 days. That ovulation often aligns with the full moon. That bleeding aligns with the new moon. These aren’t poetic metaphors. They’re physiologic facts. But for most of us, living in climate-controlled homes, lit by screens and LED bulbs, we’ve lost our relationship with this natural light/dark rhythm — and with it, some of our hormonal balance.

The Hidden Cost of Artificial Light

Modern lighting allows us to stretch our days. It also stretches our bodies beyond their natural limits. When we bathe in blue light at 11 PM, we’re telling our bodies: Stay awake, be alert, produce cortisol. When we stare at glowing screens before bed, we’re inhibiting melatonin — the hormone that tells our body to sleep, detox, and restore. And over time, this chronic overstimulation begins to confuse the subtler rhythms — the ones that govern ovulation, menstruation, and fertility.

In short? Too much artificial light can throw off your cycle.

Ayurveda says: Restore the rhythm, restore the health.

A Return to Light as Medicine

So, how do we do that? How do we bring balance back to a 28-day cycle by working with a 24-hour one?

Here are a few Ayurvedic strategies that center light as a healing tool:

1. Catch the morning light.

Sunlight in the early hours helps regulate your circadian rhythm, which is deeply tied to your monthly hormonal rhythm. Step outside without sunglasses for 5–10 minutes within the first hour of waking, and you’re giving your hypothalamus the signal: This is day. Let’s begin.

2. Moon bathe on ovulation week.

Yes, really. Expose your skin and eyes (gently) to the full moon during your ovulation window. This helps reinforce your body’s connection to natural lunar rhythms, which is especially powerful if you’re experiencing irregular ovulation or luteal phase issues.

3. Avoid artificial light after 10 PM.

Ayurveda considers 10 PM the beginning of the Pitta time of night — when the body turns inward to metabolize and detox. Staying up past 10, particularly under artificial light, can derail these processes. Try replacing overhead lights with salt lamps or candles in the evening, and aim for lights out by 10:30 when possible.

4. Switch to an amber or red light in the evening.

If you need to use screens, use blue light filters (many phones have a “Night Shift” mode) or consider wearing amber-tinted glasses to help protect your melatonin production.

5. Create a bedtime wind-down ritual.

Let your body know it’s safe to drop into stillness. This might be oiling the soles of your feet, lighting a ghee lamp, or simply breathing deeply in dim lighting for five minutes before bed.

Light, Hormones, and Menstrual Grace

When we begin to trust the intelligence of light — and our body’s response to it — we reconnect with something ancient. Not just the moon and stars, but ourselves. We begin to feel the natural rise and fall of energy throughout the month. We stop resisting it. We stop pushing through fatigue, through irritability, through the whispered cues that something is off.

And with that awareness, we open the door to more regular cycles, smoother periods, and deeper sleep. More importantly, we begin to feel like our energy belongs to us again.

Not borrowed. Not burned out. Not bypassed by coffee or screens.

Just ours.

And that’s the heart of Ayurvedic living — not just eating the right foods or taking the right herbs, but living in rhythm with nature. Even when the rest of the world is staying up late, scrolling through a glow.

So tonight? Maybe turn the lights down low. Step outside. And let the moon remind you of everything your body already knows.