In a world before alarm clocks and iCalendars, how did we manage to stay the course and wake up on time? Technology continues to connect us more, and the speed at which information travels has increased dramatically in the past two decades. Therefore, we obligate ourselves to be aware of the information flow 24/7.
At some point, you have probably felt overwhelmed and "out of sync" with your body's natural rhythm to the point that your cognitive awareness and benchmark health have been affected. Five coffees a day is not enough, cravings become more difficult to resist and sleep patterns, well, we're not even going to get into that.
Even with our superior mental capabilities, we are not that different from animals and other living things. One thing we have in common? The body's internal clock or circadian rhythm .
Some people have learned to work outside the bounds of what this internal rhythm was designed to help us do (think night shift workers and international travelers). Although living in the long term is not ideal (and hardly sustainable), there are some ways to support your circadian rhythm that could help you feel a little more in tune with yourself.
What is the circadian rhythm?
Let's go back for a second and see what the circadian rhythm is responsible for.
This internal process consists of physical, mental, and behavioral changes that occur cyclically over 24 hours. It relies heavily on sunlight and other external factors such as temperature and food to tell the biological systems within our bodies what to do and when to do it.
For example, sleeping at night and staying awake during the day. It is important to note that although our circadian rhythms and biological clocks are very different from each other, they are closely related. Our biological clocks are made up of modules at a deeper level of the body responsible for producing and leveling the circadian rhythm.
Although this system is primarily internally regulated and self-sufficient, our circadian rhythm is also influenced by environmental factors that can cause unintended adjustments based solely on routine routines, regardless of light or temperature.
How does your circadian rhythm affect your day to day?
In the days before light bulbs and television screens, we weren't exposed to as many disruptors. The sun came up, we woke up and continued our day. Then, when the sun went down, we called it "until the next morning." This pattern was quickly challenged after the introduction of electricity and light bulbs. This new technology emerged around us in just a few decades, and it doesn't mean that our systems evolved along with it. If we didn't need sleep or sunlight to survive, humans would have adapted accordingly. Since that is not the case, it is better to implement healthy habits to support your body's natural rhythms to avoid exhaustion.
Decent exposure to sunlight: the great health underdog
At this point, you have probably noticed that we are quite cyclical creatures. In order for us to stay alive and well, we need certain things to happen on a daily basis and at a specific time on a constant basis. One of them is exposure to light .
According to sleep medicine clinics, humans are more sensitive to light stimuli during the biological night , and much less sensitive to light in the middle of the biological day.
The retinas play an important role in the "feeling of wakefulness". The light travels and sends a signal to your hypothalamus, the central circadian pacemaker for all mammals, and gives you the green light to start any other biological process related to this rhythm. For example, the digestion process.
Although science found minimal effects of night shifts on the balance of melatonin (related to sleep quality) and cortisol levels (related to stress), the most notable differences come from the digestive tract, liver and pancreas. . They found that "it can alter certain metabolite rhythms and the peripheral clocks of the digestive system without affecting the brain's master clock ." If your gut is having a hard time telling you when it's time to eat, it could be due to a lack of sleep resulting in poor gut health.
Another factor greatly affected by the amount of sunlight you are exposed to in a day is your mood . The sunniest days attract happier people, but there is more to it than the warmth of lightning. For example, the results of one study showed the impact of blue light exposure on the actual mechanism of the brain after various tests. Blue light is the kind that emanates from screens and phones, we are usually told to limit it, but when we are exposed to it it could be a big difference.
Experts suggest that while this type of light exposure can have effects on the melatonin and cortisol release, it also has an effect on how your brain processes emotional stimuli . Getting constant blue light exposure at the right time could increase functional connectivity between the parts of the brain responsible for processing emotional feedback (the amygdala and the hypothalamus).
4 habits that help maintain a healthy circadian rhythm
Unplug!
As mentioned before, it is becoming increasingly difficult for humans to avoid contact with screens of any kind. To shut down the brain and rest the mind before going to sleep, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism recommends turning off electrical devices 30 minutes before trying to go to bed .
Reducing your exposure to blue light as the sun goes down is a great way to help your body fall into your natural wake-sleep cycle.
Air conditioning explosion at night
We have all had those sleepless summer nights where the room is very hot and sleeping naked is not enough. Maintaining a cooler core body temperature at night helps recharge the brain and increases the production of natural growth hormone.
It turns out that your core body temperature should start to drop as you start to relax at the end of the day. You can drop from 1 ° C to 4 ° C after falling into deep sleep as a result of decreased heat output from not being awake. Most studies on this topic recommend keeping the room between 15 and 20ºC. Anything above 23 or below 12 degrees can result in a restless and sleepless night.
Take an adrenal support supplement
Cortisol waves have a time and place. Involuntary creation of these spikes can cause your adrenal glands to become fatigued over time. The adrenal glands depend on the natural release of cortisol that occurs every day after 30 minutes of wakefulness. If you have overloaded your system from long hours of work, excess stress, overtraining, or insufficient recovery, your adrenal glands will shut down and will not be able to secrete cortisol naturally, which in turn will affect the production and release of melatonin in time for when. you hit the bag. Try adding an adaptogenic supplement to your daily diet, such as curcurmine, to help regain that stimulus in its wake.
Measure your caffeine intake
Depending on who you're talking to, coffee is the best that has ever been discovered or considered a direct pass to the city of inflammation. As we said earlier, timing is everything when it comes to increasing energy levels and cognition.
Whether you're looking to fall asleep soundly at night or overdo it for a workout, consider the effects of caffeine on increasing your cortisol levels. A case in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology determined that the half-life of caffeine is approximately 5.7 hours. So if your bedtime is close to 10 p.m., try limiting or reducing your caffeine intake around 4 p.m. so that your body relaxes and cortisol naturally decreases.
