Sleep and your body's biological clock

Have you ever wondered how important sleep is? Have you ever noticed that you feel more alert at certain times of the day and feel more tired at other times? These questions involve two body systems: your sleep/wake homeostasis and circadian rhythm, or your body's circadian clock. The following article helps you better understand how important sleep and biological clocks are.

What is biological clock?
The body's "circadian clock" or 24-hour cycle (circadian rhythm), which can be influenced by light or darkness, can cause the body to think it's time to sleep or wake up. The 24-hour mechanical watch controls functions such as:
Sleeping and Awake. Body temperature . The body's immune system. Other bodily functions, such as when you feel hungry. How are body clock problems and sleep problems related?
Sleep problems according to the body clock are related to a hormone called melatonin, which helps your body fall asleep easier. Light and dark signals affect how the body makes melatonin. Most melatonin is made at night. During the day, light tells your body to make less melatonin. If you work at night in artificial light, your body may make less melatonin than it needs.
Some people - such as those who can't sleep until late and those who go to bed very early - have circadian rhythms (eg "ser-KAY-dee-un") that are different from most people's rhythms . Other people with sleep problems may have normal circadian rhythms but must adjust them to new situations, such as working the night shift.
Are sleep problems related to problems with your biological clock?
Things that can affect melatonin production and can cause sleep problems include:
Flight delays: Crossing between time zones will disrupt your body clock . You have trouble sleeping because your body clock has not adjusted to the new time zone. Your body thinks you're still in the old time zone. For example, if you fly from Winnipeg to Rome, you cross seven time zones. This means Rome is 7 hours ahead of Winnipeg. When you land in Rome at 6am, your body thinks it was still in Winnipeg at 11pm the night before. Your body wants to sleep, but in Rome, a new day begins. Change your sleep schedule: When you work at night and sleep during the day, your body's internal clock needs to reset to allow you to sleep during the day. Sometimes that's hard to do. People who work night or rotating shifts may have trouble sleeping during the day and may feel tired at night when they need to stay awake for work. Your sleeping environment: Too much light or noise can make your body feel like it's not time to sleep. Illnesses: A number of diseases and health problems can affect sleep. These include dementia, head trauma, recovery from a coma, and major depression. Some drugs that affect the central nervous system can also affect sleep patterns. Effects of drugs and alcohol: Some drugs cause sleep problems. And you can go to sleep with no problem after drinking late at night, but drinking before bed can wake you up later at night.

Other sleep problems related to the body clock include:
Difficulty sleeping until late at night or early in the morning, then feeling tired and needing to sleep during the day. People with this problem may be called "night owls." This is a common problem and it often begins in the early teen years or young adulthood. People whose parents have had the problem are more likely to develop it themselves. Go to bed early - at 8pm or earlier - and wake up early - between 3am and 5am. If you wake up early, you might be called an "early bird". This problem is not as common as staying up late and getting up late. Experts weren't sure what caused it. How important is sleep and does sleep change as we age?
For most people, circadian rhythms change at three critical points in our lives - during childhood, adolescence, and old age.
When babies are born, they have not yet developed a circadian rhythm. An infant's sleep cycle requires up to 18 hours of sleep, divided into several short stages. Newborns develop circadian rhythms around 4 to 6 months of age, at which point they tend to sleep for larger periods of time.
In adolescence, up to 16% of adolescents have delayed sleep. Because of this circadian shift, their melatonin levels don't start to rise until late in the evening. As a result, they naturally feel more awake at night, making it harder for them to fall asleep before 11pm. This won't be an issue if school isn't so early, which makes it difficult for teenagers. should sleep 8 to 9 hours every night. With less sleep, teenagers may have difficulty concentrating during schoolwork.
Our sleep changes again as we age into our senior years. As the aging process occurs, the internal sleep clock begins to lose its consistency. Older adults tend to get tired earlier in the evening and wake up earlier in the morning, leading to less sleep overall and an increased risk of cognitive decline. Seniors with Alzheimer's, dementia, or other neurodegenerative diseases have even more severe changes in sleep.

Body clock In our bodies, tissues and organs operate according to circadian rhythms. Processes in the body operate on a schedule known as the body clock. The circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle that regulates the timing of processes to ensure a cycle with the necessary biological processes.
All living things including humans, animals, and even bacteria are affected, regulated by circadian rhythms. When you are exposed to light, both natural and artificial light, it affects your rhythm. There is a main clock in your brain, the main clock consists of about 20,000 neurons, it is located in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. This clock is the master of all biological clocks in the body.
Power up your day When you open your eyes, wake up to welcome the new day, light will enter your eyes, it reaches the brain and stimulates the activity of certain genes that help you to be full of energy during the day new. Exposure to light reduces the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you fall asleep, but as the sun goes down, the light fades, and melatonin production kicks in. At night, melatonin production will be most productive, which will help you fall asleep easier. Avoid exposure to indoor lights, light from smartphones, computer screens, tablets, and televisions, this won't interfere with melatonin production and won't disrupt your sleep.
“Night Owl” with “Lingale” Most people's body clock will run on a typical schedule. Some people have activity clocks that are out of the normal range. Like nightingales or night owls. The nightingale usually wakes up early in the morning, bright and alert, ready for an energetic day. But "night owls" usually sleep in the morning and they are awake and working at night. Genetic differences between nightingales and owls may be responsible for their differences in circadian clocks. Experts also agree that it's best to try to work with your natural body and biological clock, not against it, if possible.
Mechanical clock over time Body clock will change over time. Babies' clocks will have different sleep times than those of children aged 1-4, teenagers, and the elderly over 65. Newborns sleep an average of 16 to 20 hours a day. Children aged 1-4 years: sleep time from 11 to 12 hours per day. Teenagers: about 9 to 10 hours per day. Adults will usually feel well rested between 7 and 9 hours each night. Elderly people over 65 years of age may need 8 hours of sleep a night, but older people often have sleep problems such as staying up at night or waking up early.
Can you catch up on sleep? Science has proven that there is no way to make up for lost sleep if you have a habit of staying up late, so try to maintain a regular sleep schedule as much as possible. Create a space in your bedroom that is cool, quiet, and dark to help you get a good night's sleep. If you must sleep during the day, use some equipment such as earplugs and an eye mask. If you take a nap, it's a good idea to sleep for 1-2 hours to avoid disrupting your sleep schedule.
Time difference When you have to move to a different time zone but your body clock still works according to the time zone schedule where you usually live. Here are some symptoms when you change time zones:
Digestive disturbances, Reduced physical and mental performance, Mood disturbances (anxiety, depression, irritability), fatigue Mental problems sleep (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, interrupted sleep, waking up too early). Flight delays get worse the more time zones you cross. It can be more severe if you fly east.
Health Consequences If your body clock stops working then your whole system is affected as well as sleep, hormone levels, digestive system and immune system are also affected. This affects your health by increasing your risk of cancer, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety, and depression. So you should stick to a regular schedule, a healthy rhythm will benefit your entire body.
Smart nap If you have a reasonable smart nap, it will help you stay awake and enhance work performance as well as study ability. The ideal nap time is between 20 and 30 minutes in the early afternoon. Set your alarm so that you get the ideal sleep that doesn't last longer, as longer naps are associated with a higher risk of death and disease, especially in the elderly, and it also affects your night sleep.

Keep a consistent sleep schedule Keeping your activity clock consistent, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including days off. This will get your body into a routine that will keep your biological clock healthy. Bed times and wake times should be no earlier or later than half an hour each day, this will support a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
Reset your clock If you want to reset your activity clock, gradually change your bedtime until you reach your desired sleep time. If you change your activity clock too drastically in the first place, this can lead to hours of restlessness and feelings of discomfort and frustration. Adjusting the time slowly will help your body get used to the new schedule you are setting.
Turn off the lights The artificial blue light emitted by electronic devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones and televisions will affect your sleep. Turn off or limit your exposure to these devices a few hours before bed so they don't affect your circadian rhythm. Instead, establish a relaxing bedtime routine like reading a light book, taking a warm bath, and listening to soothing music that will help you fall asleep more easily.
Light up your day Exposure to natural sunlight as soon as you wake up such as opening the curtains, opening the window or going for a walk outside, exposure to natural light as much as possible turns off melatonin production , a hormone that promotes feelings of sleepiness, controls melatonin production. Exposure to natural light helps regulate your inner day-night cycle.
Get physical Exercise not only helps your body stay healthy, relieves stress and fatigue, but also improves sleep quality and helps you sleep longer. Exercising in the early morning and late afternoon is the right time to help your firing muscles when you are active.
Mind Eating at night Eating late at night will affect your sleep. Heavy, greasy meals and spicy foods should be avoided, especially caffeine should be avoided. You should have dinner at the same time and a few hours before bedtime. You can eat some snacks like cookies, an apple before going to bed.
Sleep Thieves As mentioned, the blue light emitted by electronic devices will stop the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps you fall asleep at night. Limit the brightness of the lights in the late afternoon or evening to get your brain's melatonin production back to normal. Listening to relaxing music in the evening instead of being exposed to blue light devices will help you fall asleep more easily.
Get help See a sleep specialist if your circadian rhythm becomes irregular. Your doctor will have directions to help you achieve a more normal sleep schedule.
Shift Work Challenges Shift workers who work at night and sleep during the day may experience circadian rhythm disturbances. To make things easier, shift workers should turn on their lights as soon as they wake up at night to work. A little exercise can also energize you. Exposure to bright lights during a shift will help keep employees awake. After finishing the shift, the person should wear sunglasses to block the sun on the way home. Complete darkness in the bedroom, including curtains that block out maximum light energy can also help shift workers sleep better during the day.
Timing of eating When you eat can have an impact on cardiometabolic risk markers including: insulin, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Several studies have shown that when people eat meals at regular times of the day, these markers stay in a healthier range than when people eat at irregular times. more regular. Moderation is best for maintaining good health. That includes eating meals around the same time each day.
Alcohol and Drugs Clock genes alter the expression of genes involved in circadian cycles. The results of several studies suggest that alcohol, amphetamine, and opioid consumption alter or alter clock genes. Clock genes influence how we process stressors (physical, emotional, and mental), which in turn can trigger alcohol or drug use. See your doctor if you need help managing stress or have trouble with alcohol or drug use.
Vitamin A Studies show that vitamin A deficiency negatively affects circadian rhythms. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, so any excess is stored in your tissues for later use. Good sources of vitamin A include: sweet potatoes, beef liver, spinach, carrots, pumpkin, cantaloupe, red peppers, and mangoes. Vitamin A is also important to help maintain healthy eyes, immunity, cells and organs. Men 19 to 50 years old need 900 micrograms of retinol active equivalent (RAE) vitamin A per day. Women of the same age need 700 micrograms of RAE vitamin A per day. Pregnant or nursing women need more.

References: sleepfoundation.org, healthline.com, onhealth.com