30 Days to Better Sleep: Sleep at the Right Time for You

It is amazing how many people struggle to sleep due to the simple fact that they are trying to sleep at the wrong time. In order to better understand when you should be sleeping, it might be best to start by considering the two major reasons we sleep at all. There is admittedly much that we don't know about sleep. Our current understanding nevertheless identifies two processes that contribute to our ability to sleep: homeostatic sleep drive and circadian rhythm. The first concept is rather simple: the desire for sleep builds the longer that we stay awake. No one will argue with this; it's easy to test. The science behind it relates to the gradual accumulation of a chemical within the brain, or neurotransmitter, called adenosine. It makes us feel sleepy. And, incidentally, blocking it is what makes caffeine effective as an alerting stimulant. The other major player in the timing of sleep is our circadian rhythm. This is the pattern of internal processes that are synchronized to the natural day-night cycles. This directs key functions of our body and associated behaviors, including: body temperature, blood pressure, hormone levels, hunger, and sleep. It strongly dictates when we feel tired and when we are most awake. As a brief aside, each and every cell of our body has "clock genes" that direct the activity of the cell. Even our fat cells follow a circadian rhythm! This helps the body to coordinate its activities. There is a part of the brain that is responsive to light cal...
Source: About Sleep Disorders - Category: Sleep Medicine Source Type: news