Getting the Sleep You Need
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Summary: Why is it important to have a regular sleep schedule, get natural sunlight during the day, and let your body wind down and relax at night? It’s all about your circadian rhythm, which can affect sleep quality, eating habits, digestion, and hormone release. Read more to learn how to keep your internal clock on track.
What is the circadian rhythm?
Your circadian rhythm is controlled by your hypothalamus, in your brain. The hypothalamus reacts to signals from your eyes. For example, at night your eyes send a signal that it’s dark, which results in the brain signaling that it’s time to start winding down. From this signal, the hypothalamus tells the body to release melatonin, which allows the body to relax.
Your body likes a routine to help keep your internal clock on track. Creating consistent sleep and waking patterns will help to keep your circadian rhythm on a schedule. If you do not believe this is true, consider the effects of jet lag. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences states that traveling to a different time zone disrupts your circadian rhythms because your body is accustomed to your hometown time zone. If you are from the east coast and wake up at 6 am west coast time, your body still thinks that it is 3 am. Your body is expecting at least 3 more hours of sleep and will feel sluggish throughout your morning.
Ways to keep circadian rhythm on track:
With a busy and hectic lifestyle, sometimes it is hard to slow down and form a routine. Also, pregnancy has its own challenges when it comes to sleep.
Here are some tips to help you get your circadian rhythm back on track:
1. Start by creating a regular sleep schedule of 7 to 9 hours at the same time each day.
2. This can be hard during pregnancy, but try to avoid naps longer than 45 minutes. Naps are definitely needed some days, but taking too long of a nap can leave you more awake when it’s time for bed.
3. Reduce stress at night. This is your body’s time to wind down and get ready for sleep. This is a great time for meditation, prayer, guided imagery, yoga, tai chi, or journaling.
4. Create a sanctuary for sleep and decrease distracting noises and light at least 30 minutes before going to bed.
5. Upon waking, try not to stay in bed longer than 20-30 minutes. We all know that it’s far too easy to fall back asleep. Oversleeping can cause grogginess as well.
6. Go outdoors – get bright natural light through the day and reducing blue light (from electronics) at night. If you are inside all day long, you can purchase a lightbox lamp that emits 10,000 lux light.
7. Get regular movement throughout each day - start with as little as 15 minutes. If you sit most of the day, take an extra few minutes to get up and walk around or stretch every hour.
References:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Circadian rhythms. National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/pages/Factsheet_CircadianRhythms.aspx.
Bates, K., & Herzog, E. D. (2020, April 15). Maternal-fetal circadian communication during pregnancy. Frontiers in endocrinology. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7174624/.
Kaur S, Teoh AN, Shukri NHM, et al. Circadian rhythm and its association with birth and infant outcomes: Research protocol of a prospective cohort study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-020-2797-2. Published February 11, 2020. Accessed December 1, 2021.
