The magical biological clock in the human body
Human ancient ancestors in the long process of evolution, constantly adapt to the changes in the natural environment, they sunrise, sunset and rest, when this circadian rhythm becomes the human body's own inherent rhythm, the human body naturally has the ability to perceive day and night changes, as if in the body to establish a "clock", specifically responsible for regulating the physiological functions of the body, this mechanism is vividly called "biological clock".
The influence of the circadian clock on sleep
For example: congenital blind people because the biological clock is not well developed, their sleep and wakefulness laws are not regulated by daylight, and do not follow the 24-hour routine of rest. They can manifest as 24-40 hours of continuous sleeplessness, followed by 14-24 hours of continuous sleep. Due to irregular sleep, most of them are unable to engage in regular social activities and traditional occupations. Therefore, the biological clock determines that we are awake during the day and sleep at night.
The relationship between the biological clock and sleep
The most important circadian rhythm regulation point in mammals is called the "suprachiasmatic nucleus", also known as SCN, and some of its cells have an autonomic rhythmic cycle, regulating core body temperature, sleep-wake tendency, and regulating the secretion of certain hormones, including the secretion of melatonin.
How to regulate the biological clock
Light stimulation (visible, non-visible), melatonin, exercise, and diet all help regulate the rhythm, and we can make full use of these four points to adjust the rhythm. Melatonin and light have opposite effects on sleep rhythms, melatonin can stretch and prolong sleep rhythms, while light can promote shortening sleep rhythms.
Light before bedtime and melatonin after waking can shift the phase of sleep backwards; On the contrary, melatonin before going to bed and light after waking up can move the phase of sleep forward. Therefore, if you need to adjust your biological clock to adapt to it due to work or study during this time, you can try "moving back sleep phase". That is, receive bright light irradiation in the afternoon, take 0.3-0.5mg of melatonin in the second half of the night, and the time of taking melatonin is 2 hours before habitual wakefulness, which can adjust the taking time with the change of biological clock.
If you want to get rid of the bad habit of going to bed late, you can try "moving the sleep phase". Take 0.5mg-3mg of melatonin before going to sleep, and get up 0.5-1h before recent habitual wakefulness (with the help of an alarm clock) to start receiving bright light.
When awake, moderate exercise, which can increase sleep load, help fight alert signals, and fall asleep better. Moderate intake of foods containing caffeine during the day can help maintain daytime alertness, but avoid drinking in the afternoon. In addition, you can eat small and frequent meals and increase the frequency of eating, which helps to regulate the biological clock, but pay attention to avoid oversatiety before going to bed.
Adhere to the above points, you can adjust the jet lag by 0.5-1 hour every day, and it will not take a few days to restore the normal biological clock.
Tips for helping you sleep
- Strenuous exercise should be avoided for 3-4 hours before bedtime;
- Do not overeat or eat food that is not suitable for digestion before going to bed;
- Go to bed again if you are sleepy;
- Can't fall asleep after half an hour in bed, get up and do some simple activities;
- For people with sleep disorders, the daytime nap should not exceed 30 minutes;
- Blood purification, DELL blood purification therapy is an emerging sub-health conditioning project in recent years, its principle is to filter the blood of the human body through extracorporeal blood purification equipment, suck out excess toxins, heavy metals and other harmful substances in the human body, and directly excrete it through extracorporeal circulation, which can effectively improve sleep.