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Understanding the Internal Clock
Understanding the Internal Clock
Your body keeps itself on track through a mechanism called circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms function as the internal genetic clock. While circadian rhythms are determined genetically, there are environmental factors that can strengthen or weaken the influence of circadian rhythms.
External Factors
External Factors
Light exposure When, how much, what type, and severity of light exposure each have their own impact on circadian rhythms. For example, getting direct morning sunlight as soon as you wake up can improve wakefulness for the day, and being outside when the sun goes down can help strengthen, or entrain, circadian rhythms.
Stress Stress increases cortisol levels which promotes wakefulness. Stress can be things from academic assignments to emotional events, like breakups.
Exercise The timing of exercise can strengthen or weaken circadian rhythms. Exercising in the morning can help entrain circadian rhythms while exercising right before going to sleep can derail circadian rhythms. Intensive exercise should be avoided 3 hours prior to bedtime.
Substances Alcohol suppresses the ability to stay awake but does not promote sleep. This leads to disruptions in sleep and decreases the quality of sleep. Caffeine helps block the feeling of the need for sleep but does not decrease actually decrease the need for sleep. Caffeine also throws off the brain's concept of time.
Temperature Due to your body temperature dropping when you are asleep, the outside temperature influences your ability to fall asleep. If your environment is increasing your core body temperature, then it will be harder for you to fall asleep.
Habits to Strengthen Circadian Rhythms
Habits to Strengthen Circadian Rhythms
The first 90 minutes of being awake are absolutely vital to your circadian rhythms, for they set up a cascade of biological mechanisms that help maintain our internal clocks.
The first 90 minutes of being awake are absolutely vital to your circadian rhythms, for they set up a cascade of biological mechanisms that help maintain our internal clocks.
Consistency
Consistency
Keeping a routine will provide the body with external queues that help the body recognize the time of day and what it needs to do to prepare for sleeping or being awake.
Mindful napping
Mindful napping
Napping is great! If you are sleepy, sleep but use it carefully. Over napping can lead to sleep inertia and disruption to circadian rhythms. The best kind of nap is taken in intervals of 20 minutes, for example, 20 minutes, 40 minutes, etc., in the afternoon (2:00 PM to 5:00 PM). However, naps should not exceed an hour and a half. Keep in mind when you are setting your alarm to add enough time to fall asleep. The time of the nap is important to help make sure you wake up from the best stage of sleep. Waking up from REM and N3, the deepest levels of sleep, can lead to sleep inertia.
Example: If you want to take a 20-minute nap, set the alarm for 25 minutes.
Bonus tip: The best afternoon rejuvenation is a 20-minute nap followed by a cold cup of coffee.
Double bonus tip: Do not sleep through a major sunlight change. This will severely throw off your circadian rhythms.
*It should be noted that these suggestions do not apply to babies and toddlers*
Light Exposure
Light Exposure
Getting up and getting sunlight exposure is one of the best things you can do for your circadian rhythms. It helps provide prolonged wakefulness and better sleep. Phones and artificial lights do not provide enough light or the right kind of light to help wake you up. Early light exposure will help suppress melatonin and wash out adenosine, both of which play a role in determining sleep vs wake pressure. It is important to make sure to get direct sunlight at transitional points of the day. For example, morning, afternoon, and sunset. At each point of the day, there are different kinds of wavelengths that set off different signals to the brain. The unique wavelengths will work with the circadian rhythms as queues.
Do your best to avoid bright lights between 10:00 PM and 4:00 AM. It does not take a lot of light to disrupt circadian rhythms. Be very mindful of your light exposure, not only at night but throughout the day as well.
Diet
Diet
Eating breakfast relatively soon after waking up will help start a chain of mechanisms that increase metabolism and body temperature. Getting food in you in the morning will extend your wakefulness. What you eat should also be considered. Eating a lot of protein and fat before bed can cause sleep disruptions.
Caffeine
Caffeine
Delaying your intake of caffeine until 90 to 120 minutes after being awake allows the remaining adenosine to leave the body more naturally. It will also help delay the afternoon crash, as well as creates a higher and longer wave of wakefulness.
Avoid 100 mg of caffeine after 4:00 PM, and it is best to avoid caffeine all together after 2:00 PM.
What is a Phase Delay?
What is a Phase Delay?
Being phase-delayed refers to the shift of circadian rhythm to being later than the typical 24-hour cycle. Up until the age of 24, your child is phase-delayed. Being phase-delayed causes children to act sluggish and zombie-like until around 9:30 AM, which is why it is hard for children to wake up and fully function any time before 9:30 AM. Pushing children to be awake and alert before this time slows down cognitive ability and there is a drastic decline in alertness.
The best thing to do for your children is to do your best to avoid activities, especially those that are highly cognitively demanding, before 9:30 AM. While this does not align with most school start times at the moment, there are several movements and petitions out there to delay the start time of school to 9:00 AM. Even though this is still not completely out of the phase delay, the 1.5 to 2 hours of sleep added will help better sync up with the students' natural wake and sleep onsets.
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