I fixed my 3 a.m. wake-ups and brain fog by syncing my sleep with the rising and setting of the sun, just like the Amish — doctors explain why this circadian living works

The image shows the silhouette of a woman with long hair standing in a field of tall grass, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.

Like most people, my evening routine used to resemble scrolling on my phone in bed at the expense of getting the quality sleep I need. Tired, wired and averaging six hours of sleep a night, I needed to take drastic action.

I felt as though modern life was working against me, and the blue glare from my screens was keeping me artificially stimulated long after it was time for bed. Caffeine and sugar propelled me through the day but left we wide awake at 3 a.m.

So, inspired by the Amish and their healthy relationship with their circadian rhythm (our body's 24 hour internal clock), I decided to rise and sleep with the sun in an attempt to fix my poor sleep habits.

I expected that I might get more sleep, but what happened to my focus and energy levels caught me completely off guard. Here's my story...