For the human body, the 24-hour rhythm biological clock plays many important functions, such as: sleep and wakefulness, body temperature rhythm, fluid balance, other physiological functions, such as hunger when it is time to eat.
I. Does the biological clock affect sleep?
Of course it does. The biological clock affects our sleep through melatonin.
Melatonin is a human endocrine hormone that helps the body fall asleep and maintain a state of sleep. Melatonin is secreted in a circadian rhythm, with more being secreted at night.
During the day, bright light signals the body to produce less melatonin. However, if you work under artificial light at night, the body secretes less melatonin affected by light as well.
Some people’s circadian rhythms are not quite the same as most people’s. They either like to stay up late and have to wait until late at night to fall asleep. Either they go to bed very early. Some people’s circadian rhythms are normal, but if there is a special situation such as night shift, you also need to adjust the biological clock to adapt to the new work and rest.
Second, what causes will affect the biological clock?
1. Jet lag.
Crossing different time zones can disrupt the biological clock. After a long flight, the body has arrived at a new time zone, but the biological clock is still stuck in the original time zone, not adjusted in time, thus creating various sleep problems.
For example, if you fly from Beijing to New York, you will cross 13 time zones, which means that Beijing time is 13 hours earlier than New York (winter time). When you arrive in New York at 7am, your body is still at 20pm BST. Although a new day in New York has just begun, your body is already starting to feel sleepy.
2. Change your sleep routine.
If you have to work nights, your biological clock has to be reset so that we can sleep during the day. This seems very simple, but in fact it is not.
Those who work night shifts or shift changes often have sleep problems, they can not sleep during the day, and wait until the night need to get up to work, but feel very tired.
3, sleep environment.
Strong light and noise will affect sleep, will make the body think that it is not the time to sleep.
4, disease and medication.
Certain diseases and health problems can affect sleep, such as dementia, cranial injury, recovery from coma and severe anxiety. In addition, some drugs that affect the central nervous system can also affect sleep.
5. Alcohol.
Alcohol can also have an effect on sleep. If you drink before bed, although it may not affect sleep, but may lead to wake up in the middle of the night.
Third, how to adjust the biological clock?
1, jet lag.
If afflicted by jet lag, taking melatonin supplements may help adjust the biological clock. Some studies have shown that melatonin may reduce the symptoms of jet lag syndrome for people who frequently travel across continents.
However, the safety and effectiveness of melatonin is not fully understood. Long-term high doses of melatonin, as well as when taken with certain medications, may lead to a number of adverse effects.
Therefore, it is important to consult your doctor before taking melatonin-containing supplements.
In addition, some sleeping pills may also be helpful for jet lag. However, these drugs may also have side effects such as headache, dizziness and gastrointestinal discomfort. If you need to take them, please make sure to follow your doctor’s instructions.
2.Shift work.
If you have to work the night shift for work purposes, the following suggestions can help us sleep better: no bright light in the bedroom, draw thick curtains or wear a sleep eye mask. Keep the room quiet, or wear earplugs to isolate the noise. Don’t drink caffeinated beverages for several hours before bedtime. Don’t drink alcohol before bedtime, and especially don’t use alcohol to help you sleep. If conditions allow, take a nap during your break at work. If you feel strongly uncomfortable, you can consult your doctor to see if you need to take dietary supplements or medication.
3, night owls.
If you are a night owl who is used to sleeping very late at night and getting up very late during the day, and bothered by the current sleep routine affecting work and study, you can try the following methods, which may help you fall asleep earlier and sleep better.
Go to bed whenever you want and get up at a regular time every day. On weekends (or days when you don’t need to get up early), even if you don’t have to get up early, don’t get up more than an hour later than usual.
If this doesn’t work, but you are desperate to adjust your routine, visit a hospital sleep specialist. After assessing your health and sleep, your doctor will help you adjust your biological clock in a professional way. The following are a few methods that may be used in clinical practice.
(1) Light therapy
Phototherapy generally uses a high-brightness artificial light box to simulate sunlight, allowing people with sleep disorders to be exposed to the light box at specific times to suppress melatonin secretion and achieve the effect of regulating biological clocks.
For different sleep disorders, the time of exposure and the intensity of light vary.
(2) Chronotherapy
”Night owls” need to sleep a few hours later each night for a few days to reset their biological clocks under the guidance of a doctor. Chronotherapy usually lasts about 2 weeks.
This method is challenging and requires avoidance of various environmental cues about natural time, and requires strict clinical implementation in hospitals.
Fourth, maintain good sleep habits.
Once the ideal biological clock has been adjusted, the next thing that needs to be done is to develop a good sleep habit.
This includes exercising regularly (but not within 4 hours of bedtime), going to bed at a regular time each day, and not doing anything unrelated to sleep such as working or reading in bed.