The Science of Sleep world where people are always feeling tired. We need coffee to wake up we scroll through our phones to relax. We use alarm clocks to get out of bed when our bodies do not feel like getting up yet. If you feel tired in the morning but feel restless and tired at night you are not just having trouble sleeping. You are fighting against your body against your biology, against your natural sleep patterns and this is a hard battle to fight a battle, against your own tired body.
You are fighting your bodys clock, the Circadian Rhythm. It is, like your Circadian Rhythm is telling you one thing and you are trying to do another thing. This is a battle because the Circadian Rhythm is what tells you when to be awake and when to sleep. So when you fight your Circadian Rhythm it can be really hard to feel normal. The Circadian Rhythm is a thing and it can make you feel tired or alert at the same times every day.
In this guide we are not just going to say that you should drink milk. We are going to look at what happens in your brain when you sleep. We will talk about the Master Clock inside your brain. The Master Clock is very important. We will also give you some tips that are based on science to help you reset your sleep rhythm make your hormones work better and get your energy back. The sleep rhythm is important, for your body and the Master Clock helps control it.
What is the Circadian Rhythm?
We need to know what the problem is before we can fix the problem. The problem is what we have to figure out. So we have to understand what the problem is.
The word circadian comes from words that mean around and day. It is about the cycle that our bodies follow. This cycle is like a clock that goes for twenty four hours. The circadian rhythm does a lot of things for our bodies. It helps decide when our body temperature goes up and down. The circadian rhythm also decides when our body releases hormones. It even helps with digestion. How well our immune system works. The circadian rhythm is important for things in our body not just, for sleep. Our circadian rhythm does all these things to help our body work properly.
The Master Clock: The SCN
There is a part in your brain that is very important. It is called the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus or the SCN for short. The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus is like a clock that’s, in charge of your body. We can call the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus the Master Clock of your body. The Master Clock, which is the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus helps your body know what time it is.
The SCN is like a boss that makes sure all the clocks in your body are working together. You have a clock in your liver, a clock in your heart and even a clock in your skin. When all these clocks are working with the SCN your body feels great. It is like everything is moving in time.. When these clocks get out of sync because you eat late at night or look at bright screens or work weird hours it can be bad, for you. This is called Chronodisruption. It is like your body is making a lot of noise of beautiful music.
The Dance of Hormones: Melatonin and Cortisol
Your body has a rhythm that is mainly controlled by two hormones that work against each other. You can think of these hormones as the gas pedal and the brake, in a car. The gas pedal helps your body go faster. The brake helps it slow down. Your rhythm is controlled by these two hormones, the gas pedal and the brake and how they work together.
Cortisol, which people call the waking hormone is not all bad. Lots of people think of cortisol as the stress hormone.. Cortisol is really important for helping you feel alert. When your body is working like it should cortisol levels go up early in the morning. This is called the Cortisol Awakening Response. It is like a wake up call for your body. Cortisol helps you wake up and get moving in the morning. Cortisol is essential, for getting you ready to start your day.
Melatonin, which people call The Darkness Hormone is made by the pineal gland. This gland produces melatonin. Melatonin tells your body that it is nighttime. It does not actually make you go to sleep. However melatonin signals to your body that it is time for sleep. Melatonin is like a messenger that says it is dark outside. You should go to sleep now. The pineal gland and melatonin work together to help your body know when it is time to rest. Melatonin is very important for helping your body get ready, for sleep.
When everything is just right cortisol levels go down as the sun sets and melatonin levels go up.. In our world today the light, from our screens and the stress we feel keep cortisol levels high and melatonin levels low. That is why you often find yourself lying awake and staring at the ceiling at 2 AM unable to sleep because cortisol is still high and melatonin is still suppressed.
Why Your Rhythm Is Broken: Things That Are Messing With The Modern World
Sleep is really tough for people these days. The reason is that the world around us has changed much faster than our bodies. It is like our bodies are still from a time ago but we are living in a place like Times Square. We are basically people from the days living in a very busy and crowded city. Sleep is hard because our bodies are not used to all the noise and activity of the century. Our bodies are, like those of cavemen. We are living in a totally different world, like Times Square.
1 Light Pollution (The Blue Light Issue)
Light is really important for telling our body what time it is. The word Zeitgeber is German. It means time giver. For a long time people knew it was daytime when it was bright and nighttime when it was dark.
Now we have things like LED screens and smartphones and overhead lights that give off a lot of light. When this blue light hits the cells in our eyes it can be a problem. This happens because our eyes have cells called melanopsin ganglion cells.
When we look at these screens at 10 PM the light tricks our brain into thinking it is noon. Then our brain stops making melatonin, which’s a hormone that helps us sleep. Light does this to our body. It can make it hard to fall asleep. The light from these screens is like a signal, to our brain that says it is time to be not time to sleep.
2. Social Jetlag
This happens when the things you do every day like going to work or watching Netflix do not match up with your bodys schedule. If you get up at 6 AM on weekdays but you sleep in until 11 AM on weekends it is like your social clock is traveling to a part of the world every week. This makes it very hard for your clock and your biological clock especially the part that controls your sleep to get into a regular routine.
Your biological clock needs to have a pattern but this does not happen when you keep changing your sleep schedule so your body gets confused and your social clock and biological clock are not, in sync.
3. Caffeine and Adenosine
So you have this thing called Adenosine that builds up in your brain throughout the day. Adenosine is what makes you feel really tired and heavy like you need to sleep. This is what people call “sleep pressure”.
Caffeine helps you feel more awake by blocking the Adenosine receptors in your brain. But here is the thing it does not actually make the tiredness go away it just of hides it.
If you have a cup of coffee late in the day it can be a problem. The thing, with caffeine is that it stays in your system for a long time like 5 to 7 hours. So if you drink coffee late you might still be able to fall asleep. Your Deep Sleep will not be very good. It will be all fragmented, which is not what you want.
4. Late-Night Eating
So you know how we have clocks in our body. The liver and the gut have their clocks too. These clocks do not work because of light they work because of food. If you eat a meal at 11 PM the clock in your gut thinks it is morning time.. The clock in your brain thinks it is night time because it is dark outside. This is confusing for your body. The liver and the gut clocks are saying it is morning.
The brain clock is saying it is night. This confusion is bad for you. It can make it hard for you to digest food you can gain weight and you will not sleep well. The peripheral clocks, like the ones, in your liver and gut are very important. They get reset by the food you eat not by the light. So when you eat a meal at night it is like you are telling your liver and gut clocks that it is time to be awake.. Your brain clock is still thinking it is night time. This is why it is better to eat during the day so all your body clocks are working together.
The Consequences of a Broken Clock
Not listening to your bodys clock does not just make you feel cranky it actually hurts your body. Your body has a clock that tells it when to be awake and when to sleep and ignoring this natural clock or what people call your circadian rhythm can really harm you.
People who work at night like shift workers have a time with their body clocks. This can cause problems for them. Shift workers are more likely to be overweight and get Type 2 Diabetes because of this. Shift workers have to deal with this issue all the time, which makes them very susceptible to these health issues. Shift workers are, at a risk.
Mental Health: Sleep and mental health are really connected. When we do not sleep well it can affect our health. On the hand our mental health can also affect how we sleep. People with depression and anxiety often have trouble sleeping because their body rhythms get all messed up. This is a part of what they deal with when they have depression and anxiety. Sleep and mental health, like Mental Health are closely linked.
Neurodegeneration is a problem. When we are in a deep sleep our brain has a special system called the Glymphatic System. This system helps to clean our brain of things like toxins. It gets rid of beta-amyloid plaques that are linked to Alzheimers. If we do not get sleep the Glymphatic System cannot do its job. So if you do not sleep your brain does not get cleaned. The Glymphatic System and sleep are very important for keeping our brain healthy and free of toxins, like beta-amyloid plaques that can cause Neurodegeneration.
Immunity is really important. When you sleep your body makes something called cytokines. These cytokines are like proteins that help fight off infections. So sleep is when your body produces these cytokines which’re proteins that fight infection, like the ones that make you feel better when you are sick.
The Protocol: How to Reset Your Circadian Rhythm
Now let us get to the things that actually work. You cannot just find a fix for sleep but you can do things that work with your body. Here is a simple plan to get your sleep, on track starting from the moment you wake up in the morning. The idea is to work with your sleep rhythm to get your sleep rhythm working properly to fix your sleep rhythm.
Morning (The Anchor)
1. View Morning Sunlight, also known as The Golden Rule. This is the important thing you can do. When you wake up try to get within thirty to sixty minutes. Morning Sunlight is really good, for you so make sure you get some Morning Sunlight every day.
The morning sun has an angle that helps our body. This angle of the light triggers the cortisol pulse that gives us energy. It is like setting a timer for the melatonin release that happens around twelve to fourteen hours later. This means that the morning solar light is important for our energy and sleep. The solar light, in the morning is what starts this process. It affects the cortisol pulse and the melatonin release.
The time it takes is around 5 to 10 minutes when it is sunny outside. On a day it will take a bit longer like 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure you do not have your sunglasses on. Also do not try to do this by looking through a window because the glass will block the light you need.
2. Delay Caffeine
Do not drink coffee away. When you wake up in the morning your body is getting rid of adenosine.
If you have coffee the moment you wake up you are stopping your body from getting rid of the adenosine. This will make you feel really tired in the afternoon.
You will have a crash later in the day because of the coffee you had in the morning.
So it is better to delay the caffeine, which’s the coffee for a while after you wake up.
The Fix is to wait for sixty to ninety minutes after you wake up before you have your cup of coffee. This means you should not drink coffee soon as you get up. Wait for a while like sixty, to ninety minutes before you have your cup.
3. Cold Exposure is an idea but you do not have to do it. Taking a shower can actually make your body temperature go up because your body is trying to fight the cold. This makes a lot of adrenaline. It is like the wake-up signal your body gets in the morning when it is time to get up. Cold Exposure is, like a way to wake yourself up.
Afternoon (The Maintenance)
1. The Napping Rule
If you really need to take a nap make sure it is not too long. You should either take a nap that is under 20 minutes this is called a power nap.
Or you can take a nap that is 90 minutes this is like a full sleep cycle.
The Napping Rule is important because if you take a nap that’s in, between these times you will feel really bad when you wake up.
The Napping Rule says this is called sleep inertia it is that feeling when you are really groggy.
You will feel worse than you did before you took the nap. That is why The Napping Rule is so important to follow.
Cut-off: No naps after 3:00 PM.
2. Sunset Viewing
Viewing the sunset is really good for you. When you see the sun setting low in the sky it tells your brain that the day is over. This sunset thing is like a helper for your brain. It keeps your brain safe from the effects of artificial light that you will see later at night. The sunset helps your brain get ready, for the night. Sunset Viewing is important because it helps your brain know when to start winding down.
3. The Caffeine Curfew
You should stop drinking Caffeine 8 to 10 hours before you go to bed.
If you go to sleep at 11 PM then you should have your cup of coffee at 1 PM or 2 PM.
This rule is about the Caffeine Curfew so remember that the Caffeine Curfew is important, for your sleep.
Evening (The Wind Down)
1. The Blue Light Blockade
After the sun sets the place you are in should be really dark like you are in a cave. This is what The Blue Light Blockade is about. The Blue Light Blockade is important because it helps your body get ready, for sleep by making your environment dark.
Dim the lights: Use floor lamps with warm/red bulbs instead of overhead LED lights.
When it comes to screens try to be smart about it. If you really have to use them it is an idea to turn on the Night Shift modes.. You can do something even better. Wear special glasses that block blue light. These glasses have amber or red lenses, which’s what makes them work. The screens are still not great, for you. The Night Shift modes and the blue-light blocking glasses can help make them a little safer to use.
2. Temperature Control
When you want to go to sleep your body temperature needs to go. It has to drop by around 1 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit. This is what helps you to fall asleep. Temperature Control is important for sleep. Your Temperature Control system is like a thermostat that helps your body get ready, for sleep by lowering your body temperature.
The Fix is to make sure your bedroom is cool. It should be 18-20°C or 65-68°F. The Fix works well when you take a bath one to two hours before you go to bed. This actually helps you because when you get out of the bath your body cools down fast. The rapid cooling helps to get rid of the heat from your body, which’s what The Fix is all, about.
3. Mental Unloading Anxiety is really bad for sleep. You should try something called NonSleep Deep Rest or Yoga Nidra. These are techniques that help you relax. They change how your body works from being on alert all the time to being calm. Non-Sleep Deep Rest and Yoga Nidra are, like guides that help your body go from fight or flight mode to rest mode. This means your body can finally relax and digest food properly. Non-Sleep Deep Rest and Yoga Nidra are ways to deal with Mental Unloading Anxiety.
Diet and Supplements: The Supporting Cast
Behavior is really important. Chemistry can also make a big difference. When we talk about behavior it is the key, to getting things done. However chemistry plays a role too because it is what helps people work together. So behavior is what we should focus on and chemistry is what can help make it even better. Behavior and chemistry they both matter in their way.
Eating for Sleep
Time-Restricted Eating is a thing to try. You should try to finish your Time-Restricted Eating meal at least 3 hours before you go to bed. This way your body can focus on fixing itself at a level, which is called cellular repair or Time-Restricted Eating autophagy instead of working on digesting the food you ate.
Carbohydrates at night are not all bad. Eating a meal is not a good idea but having a little bit of complex carbohydrates in the evening can be helpful. This is because complex carbohydrates help increase Tryptophan, which’s what the body uses to make serotonin and melatonin. Complex carbohydrates are good for you, at night because they help your body make these things like serotonin and melatonin which are made from Tryptophan.
The Supplement Stack
Disclaimer: Consult a doctor before starting any supplements.
Magnesium Threonate or Glycinate: Magnesium is a relaxant. Many people are deficient. Glycinate is great for sleep; Threonate is great for the brain.
L-Theanine is something that is found in tea. It is an amino acid that helps people feel relaxed. The good thing about L-Theanine is that it does this without making people feel sleepy. So L-Theanine from tea can be really helpful, for people who want to relax without feeling sedated.
Apigenin is a thing that’s in chamomile. It does something to the channels in our body. This helps us feel sleepy. Apigenin is really good at making us feel sleepy because of the way it works on these chloride channels. So when we have Apigenin, like when we drink chamomile tea it can make us feel sleepy.
Why not use Melatonin? The thing is, when you take Melatonin that is not made by your body it can stop your body from making its Melatonin. This can cause some bad things to happen, like really bad nightmares or feeling super groggy. Melatonin is a hormone that your body makes it is not something you should take every day. You should only use Melatonin when you have jet lag not when you just need help sleeping every night.
Having trouble sleeping can be really frustrating. You do everything you are supposed to do. Still you cannot sleep. What is going on with your sleep? You try to go to bed you do not drink coffee before bedtime and you make sure your bedroom is quiet and dark.. Still you cannot sleep.
You start to think about all the things that could be keeping you awake. Is it something you ate? Is it the stress of your life? You think about all the things that you did during the day and you wonder if any of those things are affecting your sleep.
You try to relax and calm your mind. You think about sleep and you try to focus on your breathing. You do everything you can to make yourself sleepy.. Still you cannot sleep. You start to feel really tired and frustrated. You just want to sleep.
You look at the clock. You see that it is getting late. You know you have to get up in the morning. You still cannot sleep. You start to worry that you will be tired tomorrow. You will not be able to do all the things you need to do.
* You try to clear your mind and think about things
* You try to get comfortable and find a position to sleep in
* You try to sleep. You hope that tomorrow will be a better day
You just want to sleep and you hope that somehow you will be able to sleep. You think about sleep and you try to make yourself sleepy. Sleep is what you need. You hope that you will get some sleep soon.
So you are doing what you are supposed to do. You are still having a tough time. Think about these things that might be making it harder, for the protocol.
1. Sleep Apnea
Do you snore loudly? Do you wake up in the morning with a dry mouth? Sleep Apnea is a problem that makes you wake up many times at night. This happens many times that it totally ruins the quality of your sleep. You should see a doctor, about Sleep Apnea because it is a medical condition that needs a doctors help. Sleep Apnea is something that you need to take care of with the help of a doctor.
2. The “Second Wind”
If you stay up late past the time when you normally feel tired your body does something to keep you awake. It is like your body gets a chance to stay awake. This happens when you were tired at 10 PM. You stay up past 11 PM. At this time your body releases helpers called cortisol and adrenaline. These helpers are, like a stress response. They keep you awake. This is what people call the “Second Wind”.
To make this stop you need to go to bed when you first feel tired. You have to listen to your body and go to sleep at the sign of tiredness when the “Second Wind” starts.
3. Psychological Association When you lie in bed for hours and you are awake you are either scrolling through something. You are worrying about things. The American Psychological Association says that this is bad because your brain starts to think that the bed is a place where you are stressed. You start to think that your bed is not a place to sleep. A place where you think about all the things that are bothering you like the Psychological Association says.
This is not good, for you because you need to sleep to be healthy and happy so you should try to make your bed a place where you sleep not a place where you worry or scroll through things according to the Psychological Association.
The rule is simple. The bed is for sleeping and being close to someone you care about. It is not for anything. If you are lying in bed and you cannot fall asleep after twenty minutes you should get out of bed. Find a book. Go to a room that is not too bright. Read your book in this room until you feel tired. Then you can go back to bed. Try to sleep again. The bed is, for sleep and intimacy only.
Conclusion
You cannot fix a lifetime of sleep habits in one night. The sleep clock, which is the rhythm is like something that gets moving and then keeps going. It takes a days about 2 to 3 days of waking up to morning light and being in the dark at night to get the circadian rhythm back, on track.. It takes weeks a lot of weeks to really get the circadian rhythm stable and working like it should.