SLEEP

ARE YOUR RHYTHMS IN LINE WITH NATURES

Circadian rhythms are a vitally important part of health and well-being. Every cell in the body is tied to the innate biological clock of circadian rhythms. As the sun rises and stimulates your skin and especially your eyes, your hormonal system naturally releases cortisol which is responsible for activating and stimulating the body and mind into wakefulness. The sooner you can get yourself outside and into the full spectrum of sunlight, the sooner your body will naturally trigger the release of daytime hormones and the sooner that part of the circadian rhythm will run its course and be balanced with nighttime hormones such as melatonin. Sunlight on our skin and especially our eyes will also help to create more serotonin throughout the day, which will eventually be converted into melatonin at night, so a healthy amount of sun exposure in the day actually results in better sleep. As the sun sets in the evening the body naturally reduces the production of cortisol and begins producing melatonin and other growth and repair hormones needed for quality sleep. 

Unfortunately, modern society has saturated our evenings with all manner of artificial lighting which can have the capacity to suppress your natural release of melatonin, compromising your sleep and mechanisms for repairing the body. In particular, it is the wavelengths from about 400nm to 550nm (nanometers) which corresponds to the green and blue part of the visible light spectrum, will stimulate the release of cortisol and disrupt natural sleep rhythms. Incandescent bulbs are a good way of mediating this problem or utilizing a pair of blue-light blocking glasses, which will allow you to still be able to see your environment at night and get work done without compromising on sleep quality. Installing apps like F.lux on your computer or Twilight on your mobile phone can help with blue light exposure by filtering out the most problematic wavelengths for better sleep.

Getting to bed on time is critical if you want the intrinsic healing capacity of the body to be functioning effectively. When the sun is setting the body starts to increase the production of growth and repair hormones. From 10 pm to 2 am your body is using available energy and resources to focus on repairing the physiology, (physical body) whereas the time between 2 am and 6 am is devoted to the immune system and what is called psychogenic  (mental) repair mechanisms. Part of this psychogenic repair involves a system in the brain called the glymphatic system, which brings nutrients to the brain and nervous system and helps to clear away toxicity and metabolic waste. During the psychogenic portion of our repair cycle, the neurons in the brain actually shrink to a third of their original size, and cerebral spinal fluid is pumped into the spaces between them, cleaning out the intercellular space and washing away metabolic wastes. The brain is a very energy consumptive organ and if the waste products from cellular metabolism are not effectively cleaned out regularly through good sleep rythmns, the brain will become increasingly toxic and inflamed as a result, causing things like brain fog, headaches and eventually manifesting as neurological and psychological disorders.  The consistent stress resulting from disrupted sleep rhythms produces huge amounts of cortisol, which if left unchecked can also cause things like adrenal fatigue which can present itself in a variety of ways such as headaches, viral infections, bacterial and fungal infections, and chronic fatigue.  

Tips for creating quality sleep rhythms

• Get to bed by 10:30 at the latest.

• Minimise exposure to bright lighting, especially blue light at night at least 2 hours before bed.

• Switch to low-wattage or incandescent light bulbs, use candles, or get a pair of blue-light-blocking glasses.

• Installing apps like F.lux on your computer or Twilight on your mobile phone can help with blue light exposure.

• Make sure that your bedroom is as dark as possible overnight.

• Turn of your Wi-Fi router and minimize exposure to non-native EMF radiation. Unplug all electrical appliances in your bedroom.

• Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, sugar, and nicotine, especially after midday.

• Avoid alcohol close to bedtime as it will disrupt sleep rhythms, preventing you from accessing deep sleep and causing the body to overheat.

• Make sure you are well hydrated. Dehydration is a major stress and will produce stimulating stress hormones.

• Be mindful of the times that you exercise. Exercising after dinner can disrupt sleep rhythms, especially if the exercise is intense.

• Eating the right macro-nutrient ratio and also eating at consistent times will radically improve your sleep rhythms and quality of sleep.

Remember that a good night’s sleep starts first thing in the morning.