🌞❄️ Polar day in Tromsø: how to stay asleep, focused and productive

The polar day in the ‘Arctic capital’ lasts from approximately 20 May to 25 July: the sun does not set below the horizon, and the brain interprets this as a signal to stay awake. As a result, it is more difficult to fall asleep, you want to walk endlessly after work — and it is easy to ‘burn out’. Below is a simple plan on how to ‘build your night,’ stay focused, and not disrupt your workdays.

🧠🌅 Why does the polar day ‘break’ your schedule

Light is the main synchroniser of biorhythms. When darkness does not fall for weeks, melatonin production shifts, impulsiveness in plans increases, and the window of wakefulness expands. Therefore, we do not ‘wait’ for the evening — we create it ourselves: we darken the bedroom, turn off blue screens, turn on warm lighting, and establish a clear evening ritual.

💡🌙 Light: ‘turn off’ the day, build the night

Blackout and rituals

• Thick blackout curtains or a sleep mask.
• Warm light in the evening (≈2700K), dimmers/candles.
• 60–90 minutes before bedtime — digital detox: no bright screens or news.

Light alarm clock

• Set a sunrise simulator for weekdays (start 20–30 minutes before you get up). This will restore your morning ‘anchor’ even when it's light outside all day.

Note: everything below is general lifestyle advice, not medical advice.

📅🕰️ Work timing: from your calendar to your routine

Anchors for deep work

• Two blocks of 90–120 minutes: 09:30–11:30 and 14:00–16:00.
• All conference calls — in one ‘bridge’ window (for example, 12:00–13:30).
• This ‘skeleton of the day’ reduces improvisation and helps you not to waste the energy of the polar day.

Asynchronous formats

• Retrospectives and briefings — in documents,
• meeting notes,
• checklists instead of unnecessary calls.
• For teams in the EU/US, this will provide predictability and less ‘on-call’ time at night.

🏃‍♂️🌬️ Physical activity and walks

• During the day — 15–25 minutes in the light: a short loop around the office/home.
• In the evening — 20–30 minutes of strength/core training → warm shower → ‘sunset mode’ (warm light, screen detox).
• Always keep a light windbreaker in your backpack when you're outside: the sun is shining, but the wind from the water is deceptive.

🖥️😎 Screen hygiene and midday glow

• Install anti-glare film and position your desk at an angle to the window.
• Video calls — no direct light in your face (semi-transparent curtains/roller blinds).
• At night — night mode on screens, minimum brightness.

☕🥗 Food and caffeine

• Caffeine — until 2 p.m. (after that, it will make it harder to fall asleep during the ‘white nights’).
• Dinner — light: protein + vegetables/grains; instead of energy drinks — warm herbal tea.
• Water on hand during work sprints.

✅📋 Mini checklist for the polar day

• Blackout curtains/sleep mask.
• Two focus anchors in your calendar.
• One ‘bridge’ for all conference calls.
• In the evening — warm lighting and an offline ritual.

On a polar day, you don't ‘wait’ for darkness — you create it: darken your bedroom, cool down in the evening with screens off and warm lighting, keep two ‘anchors’ of focus and one window open for calls. This way, even in eternal daylight, there is still room for sleep, work and a short walk — without overload.