There is nothing better than waking up every morning with a spring in your step, ready to get the most out of the day.
This, personally for me, is THE most important aspects of my health and it’s been a key focus for many years. There is no better feeling than waking up, feeling refreshed, energised, ready to meditate, exercise or whatever it is you love doing to kickstart your day.
One of the first areas to focus on is to ensure that you get a good night’s sleep. Yes this might seem incredibly obvious, but I know from personal experience how difficult this can be and I see cases of broken sleep and insomnia on a frequent basis.
Before we dive into the how, let’s do a quick recap on the circadian rhythm and why it’s so incredibly important for us as humans to honour this.
What is the circadian rhythm?
Each living organism has internal timekeeping mechanisms to synchronise with the cycles of day and night. These biological clocks have been found in organisms as diverse as fungi, fruit flies, hamsters and humans. As humans we live in synchronicity with the earth’s energy and cycles of the moon. A circadian system is made up of components that receive environmental input that generate this 24hr rhythm/clock and mediate rhythmic output to all tissues in the body. In fact, the circadian rhythm is a result of molecular circadian clocks in each of our cells. In mammals, it is the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN), a small paired, wing shaped structure composed of several thousand neurons, located in the hypothalamus that generates the 24hr rhythm. The SCN produces a signal that keeps the body on an approximately 24hr schedule.
How does the circadian rhythm work?
This clock relies on environmental factors such as light to reset. When light enters the eye photons (light particles) are converted to electrical signals. The electrical signals then travels down the optic nerve into the base of the brain to the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) which in turn leads to secretion of serotonin. This is why levels of serotonin are much higher first thing in the morning and should be lowest at night. In order to sleep we need good levels of melatonin (our sleep hormone), which is secreted when are exposed to the dark. We typically start to produce melatonin from 9pm onwards.
What happens when your circadian rhythm doesn’t work?
When your circadian rhythm is out of balance, you can experience difficulty falling asleep, waking in the night, not getting restful and deep sleep, mood imbalances, weight gain, insulin resistance, increased inflammation, digestives issues and even cardiovascular disease. Sleep is the time when the body heals and repairs and key hormones like growth hormone are secreted. This is one of the reasons why babies and teenagers need more sleep. So, if you have a teenager in the house, be kind and allow them to lie in and sleep!
Growth hormone is not just important for babies and teenagers; in fact, we all need it. Growth hormone plays a key role in regenerating tissue, regenerating the liver, building muscle, breaking down fat and normalising blood sugar (hence the weight gain when you don’t get sufficient sleep). Sleep functions as an antioxidant for the brain and ongoing sleep deprivation can lead to neuronal damage, ageing of the brain and elevated night time cortisol.
Sleep 0ver the last year of restricted living
Many people, like myself might be juggling work, home-schooling with many other responsibilities. This might mean having to work late into the night, which can impact your circadian rhythm. Late nights in front of the computer or phone can have a direct impact on the quality of our sleep.
Higher levels of anxiety and fear also means that we are operating in a sympathetically dominant state, also known as fight and flight. When we are in fight and flight our sleep, mental and emotional health, digestive and hormone function to name a few are all negatively impacted.
Many might feel that it’s harder to regulate the little rewards they have and enjoying binge watching their favourite series on Netflix. Believe me when I say, I hear you and I have been there. I do however know that the price for compromising good quality sleep, is just not worth it.
This clock relies on environmental factors such as light to reset. When light enters the eye photons (light particles) are converted to electrical signals. The electrical signals then travels down the optic nerve into the base of the brain to the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) which in turn leads to secretion of serotonin. This is why levels of serotonin are much higher first thing in the morning and should be lowest at night. In order to sleep we need good levels of melatonin (our sleep hormone), which is secreted when are exposed to the dark. We typically start to produce melatonin from 9pm onwards.
What to do for a good night’s sleep
Well done for getting this far. The good news is that you too can SIGNIFICANTLY improve your sleep just by following my 10 simple steps to better sleep. None of these steps are difficult and overtime you will start to see the benefits in terms of energy, improved health and vitality.
If you are ready to find out how, then click here to download my free guide.
