Learn how do push the clock back
“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.” — Homer
The problem with changing our body clocks is that we are throwing our circadian rhythm out of whack. Circadian rhythm is our body’s internal clock. It’s set by the light and keeps our body running efficiently. In the fall, losing an hour of evening light can actually affect your mood. Hospitals report that complaints of depressive symptoms actually increase around 11% right after we set our clocks back for the fall.
Why does this happen?
Vitamin D levels increase & exposure to sunlight increases the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm & focused. Sunlight actually acts on our eyes and our skin to increase our serotonin — the happy hormone. If we spend less time in the sun, we get less of that hormone that helps us feel good.
The correlation of light & mood is dependent on the body’s natural response mechanisms to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter which helps to elevate the mood & melatonin, a hormone which promotes sleep. When the body recognizes sunlight through the optic nerve, the gland in the brain which regulates melatonin slows its function & serotonin levels increase. When light is diminished, the body increases the secretion of melatonin & the secretion of serotonin is conversely slowed.
When you’re exposed to light, your brain stops producing melatonin, the sleep hormone. This makes you feel awake and alert. Darkness tells your brain to make more melatonin, so you feel drowsy.
So in the morning draw the curtains & expose yourself to light it will light you up & in the night dim off the bright lights it will help you cosy away like a tuned clock.
“Sleep is the best meditation.” — Dalai Lama
Try going to bed an hour early than you usually do 🛏 Switch off all electromagnetic devices around you such as mobile phone, wifi , television when sleeping to avoid irregular sleep cycle 📶 Have a camomile tea right before falling asleep, avoid exposure to light right tea ☕️ before bed, avoid noise / loud sounds.
Try cooling down the temperature of your body – a cold shower helps immensely 🚿 Eat early so you body isn’t busy digesting food while it’s trying to sleeping 😴 Lastly very importantly relaxation techniques – creating a bedtime ritual which involves deep breathing 🧘♀️ & stretching can help.
And if you still have trouble sleeping then you need to reset your circadian rhythm & with the help of a zero stimulus environment.
Accessing the sensory deprivation tank would be an ideal setup helping reduce stress, keeping you healthier, happier & feeling light. The zero stimulation (means no light, sound, smell, taste, touch) in the tank recreates a REM state which means that you accessed 4 Hours of REM sleep in 60MIN sessions. The first period of REM typically lasts 10 minutes as compared to now you are speeding up the process to cycle back into recovery for blissful stress free sleep states.
NFL coaches report they are replacing sleep with a float tank also to recover faster & get rid of stress jitters before an important game.
Get back into the amazing cycle of your body’s natural circadian rhythm now. Sleep is the golden chain that ties health & our bodies together. Do try these tips and let us know which one worked for you?
- Vartika Gupta