Follow your body clock to have a healthy life
Follow your body clock to have a healthy life
Have you ever noticed that we tend to feel energized and sleepy around the same time every day? Our body has a 24-hour internal clock that notifies us about sleepiness and alertness at regular intervals. Referred to as sleep/wake cycle, circadian rhythm works best when we have regular sleep habits, like going to bed at night at the same time and waking up in the morning around the same time every day including weekends. It is important to synchronize the rhythms on a regular basis. The resetting of the body’s biological clock is best achieved through regular exposure to sunlight.
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSDs) arise from a persistent pattern of sleep/wake disturbances putting the body’s biological clock out of rhythm. The most common circadian rhythm sleep disorders are insomnia and excessive sleepiness that occur due to alterations in the internal circadian timing system. In addition to this, maladaptive behaviors often play an important role in the development of circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
Did you know our bodies function on many different time cycles (seasonal, monthly, weekly, daily). The daily cycle is referred to as a circadian rhythm.
Types of circadian rhythms
There are different types of circadian rhythms, including daily fluctuations in body temperature, blood pressure, alertness, and melatonin. Our sleep-wake cycle is an important circadian rhythm that forms the foundation for the quality of sleep we have on a daily basis. Our body begins to secrete melatonin around 9:00 pm sending signals that we need to shut down. It ends around 7:30 am and during the day, there is virtually no melatonin in the system. We experience bigger swings in circadian rhythms (sleepiness and alertness) when we are sleep deprived.
How to set the body clock?
Natural sun light plays an important role in setting our circadian rhythm, or body clock, via specialized light sensors within the eye. Our eye detects the light and dark cycle in our environment and adjusts the body’s circadian rhythm so that the internal and external day coincide. This explains why people who have very severe eye damage can experience disruption in circadian rhythms leading to sleep problems.
Tips to maintain circadian rhythms
- Be consistent about the time you go to sleep and wake up
- Resist the impulse to nap during the day
- Synchronize your body’s natural clock to external cues by limiting blue light exposure at night
- Engage in outdoor activity during the day through exercise, walking
- Avoid heavy or spicy meals close to bedtime
- Move stressful work to the most active portion of the day
- Eat earlier in the day, rather than later and within a 10–12-hour window
Why should we be aware of our circadian rhythms?
We tend to throw off our circadian rhythms over the weekend with an irregular eating habit and going to sleep and waking up at odd hours. The more disciplined we are about keeping to a daily schedule the better the body will run on that plan. Remember our body clock is designed to function optimally during the day and reprogram during the night. The more in sync to that cycle we are, the higher the efficiency. While our internal body can adjust to changes in routines, consistent disruption can cause long-term health issues.
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