There’s a reason we tend to feel sleepy around the same time each night — and why, if we don’t set an alarm, we tend to wake up around the same time in the mornings, As long as we’re not pulling all-nighters or traveling across several time zones getting hit with jet lag, our bodies tend to want to follow consistent sleep patterns (which is key for getting the high-quality sleep we need).
Each of us operates on a biological schedule that plays a big role in when we feel tired and when we feel awake. When our internal sleep clocks are functioning normally, they send our bodies signals to sleep in the evening and wake in the morning.
However, sometimes this sleep clock can fall out of sync, whether it’s due to travel, work, stress, working odd hours, hormones, blue light from your TV, or other factors.
This can make it difficult to fall asleep and wake up at the right times, leaving you sleep deprived that comes with a long list of potential unwanted health issues.
If you find yourself with a broken internal sleep clock, there are a few strategies you can use to get back on track. Read on to learn more about this vital internal clock and how to reset it for better rest and well-being!
How Your Sleep Clock Works
Before we get into fixing the issue, it can be helpful to know what your sleep clock is, what it does, and how it works so that these strategies can effectively be put into place.
The term “sleep clock” refers to several biological mechanisms that control the cycle of wakefulness and tiredness, led by the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the hypothalamus.
This is also known as the circadian rhythm. When functioning optimally, this rhythm means you will get sleepy in the evening around the same time, and wake in the morning at about the same time each day.
As far as timing goes, normal biological variation exists, with some people naturally predisposed to earlier sleep-wake times and others to later sleep-wake times. To an extent, genetics influence sleep habits but behaviors, nighttime habits, and your environment also play a role.
While research is still being conducted to understand this biological sleep-clock, what they do know is that essentially, the body’s sleep clock function is influenced by a combination of external cues (like sunrise / sunset and temperature) as well as internal cues (like hormones, neurotransmitters, and genes) and behaviors (like delaying sleep or activity levels).
Three Ways To Naturally Reboot Your Sleep Cycle:
- Support Your Future Self And Skip the Afternoon Caffeine:
Research from the Sleep Disorders & Research Center at the Henry Ford Hospital and Wayne State College Medicine embarked on a study to analyze how caffeine disrupts sleep when consumed at different points in time during the day.
The study concluded that sleep quality was diminished when caffeine was consumed six hours, three hours, and right before bed. Compared to the placebo, there was a significant amount of time spent awake during the night, including when caffeine was consumed 6 hours before. But here’s the most surprising result:
The perception of caffeine’s effect on the body was not a direct measure of how it affected sleep. In other words, participants might not have felt the caffeine in their body, but it still negatively affected their sleep quality.
If you are struggling to keep your eyes open in that 3pm meeting, instead of downing your third, fourth or fifth cup of coffee, trying popping a Rise. This nootropic supplement blend contains potent mood uplifting and cognitive enhancing herbs to give you a boost like a cup of caffeine, without the late night jitters or mind racing that stimulants can lead to.
- Avoid Exposure to Light Before Hitting the Hay:
According to research published in June 2014 in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology, exposure to evening light can shift your body clock to a later schedule. And, the study authors note that “reducing household light exposure before bedtime is a simple and effective step towards reducing circadian misalignment.”
When possible, especially if you’re trying to go to sleep earlier, avoid bright and outdoor light close to bedtime (that includes lights from cell phones, laptops, and TV screens) and keep your surroundings dim at night.
- Take The Shrooms!
Well, maybe not those shrooms… we’re talking about the sleep promoting, stress reducing, and muscle relaxing fungi friends in our adaptogen blend Zen.
While many mushrooms are widely known to help promote immunity, they are also used to help reduce stress, improve sleep, and heal fatigue – making them a perfect resource during those restless nights.
Pairing these fungi friends with other adaptogens can take an average night of sleep to a whole new dimension. That’s where Cured Zen comes into play. It’s a nightly CBD + mushroom charged supplement designed to enhance sleep quality, elevate your nighttime bliss and melt away restlessness.
With soothing ingredients such as magnesium, valerian, Ashwagandha, chamomile, and of course, the mushroom of immortality, Reishi, this night-time formula is sure to help you unwind from the hustle and bustle of this CRAZY life.
The Final Note
Unfortunately, there’s no predetermined length of time that will predict how long it will take to fix your sleep schedule because it’s going to depend on how “off” it is and how long it’s been that way. The good news is it’s not irreversible and you can train your body to adjust to the proper sleep-wake cycle. But plan to be patient. Most experts suggest it can take anywhere from two weeks up to two months for your new habits to set in.
