Summer Solstice & the Too Much Yang Sun
"It's total daylight at all times. My body feels very stressed because there's no natural way to turn it off."
— Cecilia Blomdahl, Svalbard, Norway
Here in the UK, we don't experience the Midnight Sun – but this summer, we know this feeling more than most. Around the summer solstice, our days stretch to around 16½ hours of daylight. And in 2026, that long light has arrived with a sustained heatwave, with temperatures hitting 30–40°C across the country for some weeks so far.
For many, high summer is glorious. But for some of us, the combination of relentless light and relentless heat is quietly, persistently exhausting. If that's you – you're not imagining it, and you're not alone.
And unlike countries with reliably hot summers, Britain rarely gives us the time to acclimatise. The body needs around two weeks of sustained heat exposure to adapt – adjusting plasma volume, improving sweat efficiency, and easing the load on the cardiovascular system. Our weather simply doesn't stay still long enough for that process to complete. So when a heatwave arrives suddenly, as this one did, the body is caught genuinely unprepared. Beat the Heat: advice for hot weather from the UK government has some useful practical guidance if you need it.
In true sidereal astronomy – which tracks the Sun's actual position against the fixed stars – the June solstice falls within Gemini Sun Season, not Cancer as tropical astrology would have it. Gemini is an Air sign: quick, communicative, mentally active, and light-filled. It is a fitting cosmic backdrop for the longest days – a season that stimulates the mind even as the body longs for rest.
The Solstice Brain – What's Actually Happening
Around the June solstice – the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere – our internal body clocks can struggle. Circadian rhythms, the biological systems that govern our sleep cycles, hormone production, and mood, are deeply sensitive to light.
When daylight extends well into the evening, melatonin production is suppressed. The brain stays alert. Sleep becomes elusive. According to Time & Date, this disruption is well documented – and it doesn't take the Midnight Sun to trigger it. Long summer days across the UK and Northern Europe are enough.
Summer SAD: A Surprising Seasonal Disorder
Most people have heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder in its winter form – the low mood and fatigue that arrives with the dark months. Less well known is its summer counterpart.
Summer-pattern SAD, as explored by Sara Kornberg for Time & Date (published June 2025, updated June 2026), can peak around the solstice. Triggered by increased sunlight, rising temperatures, and higher humidity, symptoms include insomnia, agitation, loss of appetite, and anxiety – a feeling of being stuck on high alert with no natural off switch.
It is, in the language of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a state of too much Yang – too much heat, too much light, too much stimulation – with not enough Yin to balance it.
Finding Your Yin in the Yang
In TCM, high summer is the peak of Yang energy – expansive, bright, outward, hot. The antidote is consciously cultivating Yin: cooling, quieting, inward, restoring. Here are some of the ways we'd reach for support from the natural world.
Cooling Aromatherapy
Peppermint, Spearmint, and Eucalyptus are the cooling trio – refreshing, head-clearing, and genuinely temperature-lowering when applied with a carrier oil or diffused in a warm room. A drop of Peppermint on the back of the neck or temples can bring immediate relief on a hot, airless evening.
Calming the Nervous System
For the high-alert, wired-but-tired feeling, reach for Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Melissa, or Neroli. These are the oils of the parasympathetic nervous system – the ones that say it's safe to rest now. Blend with Grapeseed oil for a light, cooling body oil that won't feel heavy in the heat.
Skin Support in the Heat
When temperatures soar, skin takes the strain too. Pomegranate Seed Oil is rich in antioxidants and deeply protective against sun-related oxidative stress – a beautiful, lightweight oil to apply in the evening as skin recovers from a hot day. It absorbs readily without heaviness, making it ideal for summer skin care when the last thing you want is anything thick or cloying.
For the Heart & the Overwhelmed
Persian Rose Otto is one of the most emotionally supportive oils in the natural world – deeply calming to the heart, gently grounding, and profoundly comforting when anxiety or emotional overwhelm is part of the picture. A single drop blended into a carrier oil and applied to the chest or wrists is enough. It is a quiet luxury, and in the middle of a relentless heatwave, sometimes that is exactly what is needed.
Grounding & Yin-Restoring
Sandalwood and Patchouli are deeply grounding – earthy, slow, and Yin in nature. A few drops in an evening diffuser can help anchor an overstimulated mind and signal the body that the day is drawing to a close, even when the sky disagrees.
The Beeswax Candle Ritual
One of the simplest and most effective tools for high summer evenings: light a beeswax candle as the evening begins. The warm, amber light signals dusk to the brain even when the sky outside is still bright. Natural beeswax burns clean, with no synthetic fragrance to further stimulate the senses – just gentle warmth and the faintest honey scent.
6 Things to Try When the Sun Won't Set
Adapted from the Time & Date sleep tips, with a few Emporium additions:
- Blackout blinds or a sleep mask – block the light your brain is reading as daytime
- Switch to warm, dim lighting indoors from early evening – a beeswax candle is perfect
- A cooling aromatherapy blend before bed – Peppermint, Lavender, or Roman Chamomile
- Avoid screens in the hour before sleep – the blue light compounds the problem
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule, even at weekends – your circadian rhythm needs the anchor
- Drink water consistently through the day – and eat water-rich fruits like melon, pear, and cucumber too. Thirst only signals at around 1–2% body fluid loss, due to fluid deficit – by which point you're already behind. At 7–10% loss, the body's ability to sense thirst at all begins to fail. Sip little and often; don't wait to feel it.
A note on availability: Our essential and carrier oils are sourced from Aromantic UK, a trusted collective supplier. While all oils are packed in the UK, many are grown and cold-pressed from botanicals around the world. Global supply chains are under pressure at present, and a small number of oils may show as out of stock from time to time. We update our range as stock is restored – thank you for your patience and understanding.
We hope this finds you resting well, wherever the summer light finds you. As always, we're here with the good stuff – gently, naturally, and with care.
Louise & Hollie
Coralee's Emporium