Two Ways to Have a Healthy Sleep Cycle

The patterns of waking up and sleeping are managed by our internal body clocks. These patterns are called our circadian rhythms. There are disorders that affect these patterns, and these disorders are referred to as Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders.

Having a healthy circadian rhythm is very important. However, most people suffer from lack of sleep, or from sleeping when they shouldn’t be. This means that our body clocks need to be remedied. At times, our body clocks may be remedied on our own. These are some ways to correct our clocks:

1. Keep a journal for your body clock

If you don’t know what your circadian rhythm is like on regular days, then it is best to note down the times of the day when you feel sleepy, lethargic, energetic, productive, etc. Do this for a week or so, and look for apparents trends or habits. It would also be best ot match your lifestyle to your body clock. For example, it is a bad idea to try to work during the time of day when your body wants you to sleep. However, matching lifestyles with body clocks may be difficult for most people, as they have no choice but to work during the shift they are given. For other people, their cycle might be too problematic for the average person (i.e. they are wide awake during the night). When this is the case, it is best to check with a doctor to see if you have a circadian rhythm sleep disorder.

2. Make Use of Natural Light

Recent studies show that artificial light do not replicate daylight. This means that our body does not produce as much melatonin as it should. Melatonin, a hormone produced by our body, is responsible for causing our body to sleep or wake up when it should. When we do not get enough melatonin, our sleep cycles become problematic. For example, a person who stays cooped up in an office all day with fluorescent light instead of daylight can experience problems with his or her cycle. If you want to have a healthy body clock, make sure you get an healthy amount of daylight everyday.