As September light shortens across the Front Range, circadian researchers keep pointing to the same cheap fix: morning outdoor light. Sleep clinicians talking to Tom’s Guide and fall-fatigue explainers note that weaker daylight and darker mornings can nudge melatonin earlier, leave daytime alertness flatter, and make evening screens feel later than the clock says. Natural light, even through clouds, is a stronger zeitgeber than most indoor lighting.
The weekend move is small. Within about an hour of waking, step outside for 10–20 minutes with coffee or a short walk. Keep wake time roughly consistent even if bedtime drifts. Dim household lights in the last hour before sleep and leave the big circadian experiment for November’s clock change, when shifting bedtime 10–15 minutes earlier over a few nights beats an abrupt one-hour jump. No new gadget required unless mornings are pitch-dark and a sunrise lamp helps you get up.