Good Night Loves!
Life is great to live and be in the moment and sure being active and lively has its effects but something is often times overlooked is our sleep cycle. Yes, our sleep cycle! With the popular concept of "Ill sleep when I'm dead" or the ever so popular "Yolo" we forsook sleeping in order to do other things. Little did we know how devastating this is for our bodies. Yes, I used the word devastating! It truly is, there are booming studies as researchers are taking a deeper look into the circadian rhythm of our bodies and how it affects out body. There are natural behavioral changes that we go through throughout the 24hr period. The majority of us are always plugged in and glancing at screens all day long. Its become such a habit to stay connected, however the blue light on our devices may be altering our sleep patterns. I have noticed how hard it is for me to wind down and actually fall asleep. I really struggle with receiving a good nights rest. Experts recommend that we should be sleeping about 7-9 hours daily. I cant speak for everyone but I know for a fact Im lucky if I get 6 hours of sleep.
So first things first, lets start to break this down....
What is a Circadian Rhythm?
Circadian Rhythm runs on a 24hr schedule. It focuses on how light naturally affects the body. The name originates from the latin phrase "Circa diem" translating into the "around the day". In 1729 a scientist named Jean Jacques d' Ortous de Mairan conducted an experiment on a Mimosa plant in a light controlled room and saw how the plant grew and reacted to light controlled settings. It is the same for all living creatures. Our cells run on a biological clock that responds to light. The study of this is called chronobiology. The research from these new studies are revealing to us how deeply our sleep cycles greatly affect our well being. Now since everyone is biologically different, everyone circadian rhythm will be slightly different but generally its similar considering its affected by the light. Considering that its vital that we understand that we will need consciously start winding down and creating a sleep routine to prepare us for a better nights rest. I've inserted a diagram that demonstrates the 24hr cycle.
1. Start dimming the lights- 2hrs before actually going to sleep
2. No device usage- Start restricting the usage on your devices such as tvs, laptops, phones. The reason is because it emits blue light which will also affect your melatonin levels impeding enhanced sleep.
3. Stop physical activity- about 2 hrs before bed
4. Early Dinners- Try to have dinner in the 5pm to 7pm window to allow your body time to digest and breakdown the food any consumption of food afterwards will disturb your sleep cycle.
5. Take a hot shower- As the day ends our body temperature tends to cool down so by having a hot shower you raise your balance your body temperature therefor enhancing your sleep.
Benefits of sleeping an adequate amount of sleep
1. Improve immune system
2. Promote weight loss
3. Reduce risk of illness and disease
4. Increase brain function
5. Improve your mood
6. Reduce inflammation
7. Balances hormones
Ok guys and gals thats all I got for today, deff hope this was it for you! Share with your loved ones and share any feedback with me in the comments. Enjoy the rest of your day and work on improving your sleep cycle!