- The sun doesn't fully set in Iceland during the summer due to the tilt of the Earth's axis.
- As a solo traveler in Iceland, I felt safer walking around at night while it was still light out.
In Iceland, the sun doesn't fully set between May and August, with June being peak "midnight sun" season, according to Guide to Iceland.
Because the Earth's Northern Hemisphere tilts towards the sun during the summer months, countries north of the Arctic Circle like Iceland, Sweden, Finland, and Norway are continuously exposed to sunlight.
I experienced this phenomenon for myself when I visited Iceland in June. While the midnight sun threw off my sleep schedule, I appreciated the perks that came with it.
Iceland's constant daylight tricked my body into thinking it wasn't as late as it actually was
As Insider has previously reported, darkness acts as a cue for the brain to produce melatonin, the hormone that causes sleepiness, to help the body get ready for sleep.
Without a sunset or a dark night sky, I found myself accidentally staying up later than I normally would simply because I didn't feel tired at my usual bedtime. On top of my jetlag, the lack of sleep left me feeling exhausted in the morning.
Sleep scientist Erla Björnsdóttir told The Reykjavík Grapevine that visitors to Iceland can wear sunglasses during the day and reduce their exposure to bright sunlight about two hours before bedtime in order to regulate their circadian rhythm and melatonin production.
Iceland's midnight sun also made navigation easier and helped me feel safer at night
Iceland's constant daylight made navigation much easier than it would have been in the dark. While driving on remote roads, I was able to see street signs and spot my destinations with ease at all hours.
As a female traveler on my first-ever solo trip abroad, I also felt more comfortable walking around at night under a bright sky.
Iceland has consistently been ranked the safest country in the world by the Global Peace Index, but the midnight sun emboldened me to try experiences that I would never feel comfortable doing in my home city of New York, like spending a night in a transparent plastic bubble in the middle of a forest by myself.
With an eye mask to block out the sun, of course.