So its weekend and you are just happy to be home and catching up with some movies or going out. And your bedtime pushes way past twelve as compared to your normal routine of ten thirty. Tomorrow it is back to work but you find it so hard to get up the next morning at seven, thanks to your late night extravaganza. And to make matters worse you feel tired and sleepy during the course of the day. Well this reaction by our body can easily be attributed to the bodily functions which are known by the name of biological clock or simply the body clock.
Sleep and Your Body Clock
The body's sleep or wake up cycle is regulated by a naturally occurring hormone, known as Melatonin, which is secreted by the body's pineal gland - a tiny pea-sized organ found in the base of the brain. It is also known to modify the function of the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system. Light and darkness affect how the body makes melatonin. It is produced in greater quantities when it's dark, and this increased production can cause you to feel sleepy and lethargic. If you work in artificial light at night, your body may make less melatonin, thus affecting your sleep.
Our body clock is result of something known as a Circadian Rhythm, which is basically the cycle of night and day in a 24 hour period. This rhythm affects our body temperature, blood pressure, digestive secretions and hormone production. Circadian rhythm is controlled by the hypothalamus in the brain, located near the optic nerve, explaining why light is so influential in sleep. Changes in the external factors play a huge role on the cycle. For instance, alarms, changes in meal timings, work and other such factors can affect the cycle.
Some people have circadian rhythms that are different than those of most people, and thus, they either can't sleep until very late at night or go to bed very early. Other people may have regular circadian rhythms, but have to adjust to situations like working a night shift or jet lag.
Problems Affecting Sleep Pattern
- Jet Lag: You must have experienced this at some point or the other when you would have traveled out of country. Jet lag is just a temporary problem and is associated with sleep patterns. It persists till you get used to the new time zone. Usually, the larger the time difference the longer it takes to adjust. For instance, let's say that you fly from London at 9 pm to New Delhi. You land in Delhi at 9 am London time as the flight lasts 12 hours. However, because you have flown across several world time zones, the local time in Delhi is 2:30 pm. But your body clock still says that it is 9 am.
- Sleep Environment: Often we find it very hard to sleep when our surrounding is noisy and inconvenient to sleep. For instance, your neighbor is throwing a party with loud music, and of course, the sound of people talking, laughing and chatting could give you a sleepless night. Too much light entering your sleep area or even a crowded bed can also keep you awake or give you troubled sleep.
- Night Shifts: Night shifts have become a normal affair with many people who work in MNC's. This goes completely against your natural body clock because MNC's employees go to work in the night when others hit their bed and they sleep when others go to work. Your body's internal clock needs to reset to let you sleep during the day, but this can be hard to do sometimes. This means you have trouble sleeping during the day, and thus, you feel tired at night when you need to be alert for work.
- Illness: Sometimes certain diseases also can create havoc in our sleeping habits. These include dementia, a head injury, recovering from a coma, and severe depression. Certain medicines that affect the central nervous system may also affect sleep patterns.
- Drugs or Alcohol: Alcohol or drugs intake can also cause problems in falling asleep. Alcohol may initially help you fall asleep, but an alcohol drink before bedtime may make it more likely that you will wake up during the night.
Ways to Synchronize With Your Body Clock
- Time It: Always wake up at the same time every day. Every day you wake up at a different time, your body clock becomes out of sync making you feel feel groggy and tired throughout the day. The best way to follow the body clock is to have a time table worked out so that your body knows when to sleep and what time to wake up.
- No Late Nights: Avoid sleeping late on weekend nights, especially on Saturdays, or else you may not get sleep on Sunday night, and thus, spoiling your body clock mechanism.
- No Naps: Try not to sleep during the day, especially in the afternoons. Taking naps is different, but for some, if you sleep in the middle of the day you may end up staying awake during the night.
- An Hour to Yourself: According to the National Sleep Foundation poll conducted in 2007, during the hour before bed, around 60 percent of us do household chores, 37 percent take care of children, 36 percent do activities with other family members, 36 percent are on the Internet, and 21 percent do work related to their jobs. So, try to take out at least an hour's time before you hit the bed in the night, and try winding up household things in time so that you sleep when you are already in a relaxed position.
Sleeping is a very essential part of our life. And who doesn't love to sleep. Sleep related disorders can create havoc in anyone's life. So try to avoid such painful situations by simply sleeping at the right time and for right duration. Nighty night!
