Sleep our superpower- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DM
Sleep, good sleep and regular good sleep, this is the focus of this blog. Like I mentioned previously, routine, as mundane as it may seem, is crucial to our very existence. All of us want to be happy, successful, and in good health always. Yet, all of us sacrifice the very thing that is influential in helping us be happy and healthy. A few tips to help us inculcate regular sleep habits, followed by a little about circadian rhythm and its role in knowing our sleep patterns.
Good sleep habits also referred to as “sleep hygiene” can help you get a good night’s sleep. Some habits that can improve your sleep health:
Be consistent - Like I keep reiterating, routine is boring, but routine is our savior. Go to bed at the same time each night and try and get up at the same time each morning, including on the weekends.
Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature, any temperature that suits your needs. Some like it warm and toasty, I prefer roomy and a little chilly.
Remove electronic devices, such as TVs, computers, and smart phones, from the bedroom. All those electronic devices disrupt our sleep. Sounds and blinking lights can cause unwanted awakenings at unasked for hours! Some studies also say that the blue light emitted by many devices disrupts the natural production of melatonin, a hormone that facilitates sleep and can throw off your circadian rhythm.
Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime and lastly, get some exercise during the day. Being physically active during the day can help you fall asleep more easily at night. Schedule gym or aerobics during the day and not towards evening time.
How do circadian rhythms affect health? Circadian rhythms can influence important functions in our bodies, such as:
Hormone release
Eating habits and digestion
Body temperature
However, most people notice the effect of circadian rhythms on their sleep patterns. The SCN controls the production of melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy. It receives information about incoming light from the optic nerves, which relay information from the eyes to the brain. When there is less light—for example, at night—the SCN tells the brain to make more melatonin, so you get drowsy.
What factors can change circadian rhythms? Changes in our body and environmental factors can cause our circadian rhythms and the natural light-dark cycle to be out of sync. For example:
Mutations or changes in certain genes can affect our biological clocks.
Jet lag or shift work causes changes in the light-dark cycle.
Light from electronic devices at night can confuse our biological clocks.
These changes can cause sleep disorders, and may lead to other chronic health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder.
Note: If it helps the reader in any way, please leave a comment, or drop a note @sharanyadinesh@healingheartfully.com and I will try and publish more blog posts on circadian rhythm.
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