Our bodies thrive on consistency, and your wake time is a powerful zeitgeber, or cue for your circadian rhythm, especially when paired with morning light exposure. If you’re having trouble sticking to a routine, write down what you do at night and in the. This includes maintaining consistent eating times or even when you have sex, Breus says. Going to bed earlier to catch up on sleep is, essentially, trying to regulate and control your sleep from the wrong end! But you can control when you open your eyes, put your feet on the floor and get up for the day, which triggers your wake and sleep-drive hormones. Having a regular timetable for your entire day outside of a bedtime and wake-up time can help you better stick to a sleep schedule. In fact, the more you try, the more pressure and stress you’ll cause, and the less sleep you’ll probably get. Sleep isn’t a state you can think your way into. Trying to will yourself to sleep activates your conscious mind, which is exactly the opposite of what you want to do when you’re trying to settle in for the night. If you’re trying to log more quality sleep time, it may seem intuitive to consider an earlier bedtime. When the hormones that help drive sleep and wake are on a more regular pattern, sleepiness at night tends to happen at a more consistent time as well. Repeat as needed, but continue to maintain your sleep schedule and wake-up time. The buildup of adenosine also begins when you wake up.īecause the release of both hormones is triggered by morning sunlight, when you wake up around the same time each day, your circadian rhythm receives a consistent signal that helps it get “stronger,” or more regulated. Adenosine, on the other hand, accumulates in the brain throughout the day and helps you feel sleepy at night. The morning release of cortisol helps transition your body to wakefulness. The SCN sends alerts to activate various hormones, including cortisol and adenosine - it’s located close to our optic nerve and utilizes light to guide the output of hormones. When we wake up, the morning light sets off a cascade of signals orchestrated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is made up of approximately 20,000 neurons and keeps our many biological clocks aligned and in sync with our 24-hour day. Our circadian rhythm is our internal body clock that helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle.
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