Sleep Series #1: Circadian Rhythm

Things you can control!

If one night of poor sleep can make you feel fuzzy-headed then, what about a long-term sleep deficit? The implications can have a much wider impact on your health.

Sleep is not a luxury. if you want to live a long and healthy life, honour sleep as the crucial, powerful healer that it is, and prioritise it in your life now.

Two-thirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain enough sleep and we’ve disregarded and downplayed the most fundamentally important aspect of our health foundation.

Sleep is often overlooked, yet it’s critically important in achieving hormonal balance, supporting detoxification, weight-loss, brain function, heart balance, DNA repair (or damage), and lots more. YES even weight-loss.

That's why sleep is non-negotiable when it comes to restoring health. Sleep is not a luxury. if you want to live a long and healthy life, honour sleep as the crucial, powerful healer that it is, and prioritise it in your life now.

Two-thirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain enough sleep and we’ve disregarded and downplayed the most fundamentally important aspect of our health foundation.

Sleep is often overlooked, yet it’s critically important in achieving hormonal balance, supporting detoxification, weight-loss, brain function, heart balance, DNA repair (or damage), and lots more. YES even weight-loss.

That's why sleep is non-negotiable when it comes to restoring health. 

Step 1 & 2: Sleep Disrupters You CAN Control

There're a number of ways insomnia or poor-quality sleep can manifest – maybe you can’t fall asleep, or you wake up multiple times or always at the same time - like 3am, you don't wake up refreshed, hot flushes at night, restless leg and so on…..

How Poor Sleep Affects You 

If you’ve been pushing your sleep issues onto the back burner then maybe it’s time to rethink this. In the long run, the consequences of sleep loss can be dire to your health. 

We know what a bad night’s sleep does to your physical appearance - dark circles and bags under your eyes but what’s far more important than this is the connection to more serious health conditions such as:-

 - Heart disease & stroke
 - Psychological issues - lack of motivation, low mood & depression
 - Hormonal balance
 - Suppresses your immune function
 - Regulating your appetite - weight gain/obesity
 - Brain function - memory, focus & creativity

You might be thinking that this only applies to workaholics or new moms, or people with chronic insomnia.

Just ONE hour of lost sleep will take you 4 days to fully recover. In a 2016 study looking at factors that aged the skin, participants with sleep loss looked “markedly less healthy, less attractive, and more tired.” 

In a 2017 study it was found that approximately seven hours per night is optimal for the health and functioning of most adults. However, there may be differences based on your age, gender, health, activity level, and genetic makeup.

Causes of Poor Sleep Can Be Multi-Factorial

When it comes to addressing your sleep issues there are several factors that could be the underlying cause that you need to consider including: -

• lifestyle modifications (circadian rhythm)
• blood sugar issues
• poor detoxification (liver, gut)
• hormonal imbalances
• EMF
• nutritional deficiencies
• hormonal factors
• and  there are also the psychological & emotional factors that play a part – thoughts, worry’s, so on.

STEP 1: ADDRESS SLEEP DISRUPTORS  YOU CAN CONTROL - NOW

• Avoid Caffeine and sugar later in the day, they keep you awake at night and make it difficult to fall asleep in the first place. 
• Alcohol - higher alcohol intake results in increased sleep disruption, lowers quality of sleep, and shortens sleep duration.
• Spicy and acidic foods — For some people, spicy foods can cause indigestion and reflux.
• Stress — The more cortisol and adrenaline your body produces in the day, the more likely your circadian rhythm will become dysregulated.
• Good sleep hygiene - Set your sleep schedule and follow a nightly routine, with the right sleep environment. Turn off any blue lights, 
• Be physically active during the day.

STEP 2: YOUR BODY’S NATURAL OR CIRCADIAN RHYTHM

Circadian rhythms or your body’s internal body clock, includes the production of hormones that regulate sleep, hunger, and metabolism, over a 24-hour pattern loosely based on light availability. Ultimately, theses hormones influence your weight, performance, and susceptibility to disease.

When and how much you sleep, what you eat, movement all affect your health and are linked to these rhythms.

A key driver of your circadian rhythms is - MELATONIN - a hormone produced primarily in the pineal gland of the brain, peaking one hour into sleep and ebbing two hours after waking. 

Our modern lifestyle, the constant presence of blue light has resulted in us getting out of synch with our body’s and the earths daily rhythms. 

Dimming lights and cutting back on the use of blue light from devices in the evening allows your melatonin to rise naturally, so you can fall asleep.

1. Go to bed by 10pm – sleeping earlier is profoundly healing, aligns your awake/sleep cycles with the natural rhythms of the earth and can be a life-changing experience. 
   
   
2. Get bright light for 30 minutes in the first 30 minutes on waking. Bright light (ideally sunlight) is critical to set your circadian rhythm. In addition to this go outdoors, throughout the day to instantly boost energy. 

3. Block out blue light from household light bulbs, TVs, computers, Phones after sunset. After the sun goes down, you want to minimise or eliminate your exposure to blue light. Wear blue-blocking glasses. 

4. Darkness at Night While You Sleep block out all light from outside, even a tiny amount of light (like 5 lux) can impact your circadian rhythm.
This amount is the amount of ambient light from streetlights. Use a sleep mask. Turn off all light sources, even red ones anywhere in your home.

5. Fast For At Least 3 Hours Before Bed Eat at least 3 hours before bed. Remember the benefits of autophagy. If you’re hungry before bed increase calories during the day to prevent waking up or hunger before bed. Waking up in the night hungry or anxious can be a sign of poor blood sugar control.

6. Time Most of Your Daily Activity During Daylight Hours. Don’t exercise at least 4 hours before. Workout during daylight hours. Movement and activity are synergistic with other triggers - light, temperature, and meal + nutrient timing. It amplifies the circadian signal. 

7. Get Your Temperature Right. Research indicates that temperature plays an important role in circadian signalling. Colder temperatures, signal it’s night time and trigger sleepiness. Warmer temperatures in the morning trigger wakefulness. Paradoxically, cold in the morning can switch on your body’s heater. Heat in the late evening from a bath/shower can cause a drop in temperature that triggers sleep. 

8. Start Your Day With Movement. Cyclic AMP is an important cellular signalling molecule that resets your circadian rhythm and tells your brain that it’s daytime (it works synergistically with light, temperature, and food). The best way to trigger cAMP is EXERCISE and movement. Walking outside, yoga, pilates, etc. ... or intense exercise also works for those who are capable of that. 

9. Use Sound To Entrain Circadian Rhythm. The sound of birds in the morning can influence your circadian rhythms. Wake up with a gentle soothing noise or sounds of birds. Then shift into music that energises you. Conversely, at night, in the few hours before bed, keep the volume of any noise (TV, computer, conversation, etc.) relatively low. There is research behind this! 

10. Have a Routine Try do things at the same time each day, like getting up, eating and exercising.This entrains the nervous system, brain and biology for good circadian rhythm signalling.

Conclusion

There’s many reasons for your poor sleep, and it’s critical to know the root cause behind the symptoms so that we can address it and ensure you have a good nights sleep.