If you are a nocturnal person, this article is for you

If you are a nocturnal person, this article is for you

Many people have genetics that make them stay up late, but according to a report in the New York Times, a new morning routine can help change the bedtime, making it easier to wake up early and go to work at night. Morning activity.

According to the report, by Anahad O'Connor, a health, science and nutrition reporter who is also the author of bestselling books on consumer health such as "Never Bathe in a Thunderstorm" and "The XNUMX Things You Need to Eat," the results of a study, conducted Under the auspices of the federal government, it can sometimes be difficult to get good sleep, with more than a third of adults routinely not getting a healthy amount of sleep, defined as a minimum of seven hours a night.

The good news is that if a person tends to stay up late at night and suffers from poor sleep quality, there are steps they can take to become a more morning person.

Personal biorhythm

The results of practical studies indicated that the first thing to consider is that sleep time is influenced to some extent by genes, and that each person has a personal biological rhythm or temporal pattern, which determines the optimal time for falling asleep and waking up. Studies have indicated that there are many genes that cause some of us to wake up early, while some are more like a “night owl,” and others fall somewhere in between.

One study published in Nature Communications, for example, analyzed the sleep habits of nearly 700 people and identified a large number of genes that play a role in determining whether a person is a morning person. It turns out that, on average, people with the highest number of genetic variants tend to fall asleep and wake up about half an hour earlier than people with the fewest genetic variants.

The human body is innately equipped with 24-hour daily cycles that govern when we wake up and go to sleep, said Dr. Eileen Rosen, MD, a sleep medicine physician and professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "But the good news is that you can give your body's circadian clocks some cues that affect them quite a bit."

Distractors

It cannot be asserted that a person who has fewer genetic variants and tends to stay up until midnight should stay that way forever and vice versa. It is possible for a person to remain awake beyond their optimal bedtime due to distractions, for example many people sleep normally around 10 pm, but end up staying up until midnight to work, surf the Internet or enjoy a movie and series platform, which It makes it difficult for them to get up early in the morning with vigor and vitality. But this situation can be changed by focusing on modifying the morning routine, through a number of steps:

• Determine the time that the person wants to wake up.
• Get out of bed at the exact time each day, no matter how tired you are, and get some sunlight.
• Sunlight will tell the mind that it is time to wake up.

Studies have found that morning light can boost the circadian rhythm, helping the body adjust to the previous schedule. When the body gets used to the start of the day before, the person will naturally start sleeping early in the evening. Ideally, the person should go out in the morning and do sports or some other activity that keeps them alert.

“A brisk walk outside in the morning is a very good way to start telling your internal biological clock that it is time” to start the day actively, said Dr. Rosen.

therapy lamp

If your target time is to get up before sunrise or can't go outside because of bad weather, an alternative might be to try bright light therapy, which involves turning on a special lamp for about 30 minutes each morning while getting ready to get used to the early start of the day. Sunrise. In this scenario, a regular table lamp or overhead lamp will not do the trick, but a light therapy lamp is required because it is designed to simulate outside light.

Sunshine by day, dim lights at night

While exposure to the sun in the morning is crucial, one should try to get plenty of sunlight during the day as well, as this will also help to change their watch in the right direction. Then he should try, in the evening, to reduce his exposure to artificial light. Dim lights, lamps, and reading lights are fine, but try to avoid exposure to devices that emit blue light, including computers, fluorescent lights, television screens, and smartphones, within two to three hours of the time you want to fall asleep.

Studies have shown that exposure to blue light at night can disrupt sleep and suppress melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep.

The researchers discovered that blue light can affect the biological clock, making it difficult to become an active person in the early morning.

Melatonin Dosage

Some help can be obtained with a very low dose of melatonin, which can be found in most drugstores, said Dr. Sabra Abbott, assistant professor of neurology in sleep medicine at Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Abbott recommends taking no more than half a milligram one hour before bed.

It is important to keep the dose low. Dr. Abbott added that taking the melatonin dose is an attempt to "provide a simple indication that the night has begun, warning against increasing the dose because melatonin can negatively affect the circadian clock later and make the problem worse."

holidays

Dr. Rosen advised the need to stick to the steps and make sure to sleep early in the evening, including holidays and weekends, because if there is “a party on the weekend and the person stays up late or starts watching TV late in the evening.” night, he will undo everything he just did, and he will have to start over.”

Delayed sleep phase syndrome

Some people suffer from a condition known as "delayed sleep phase syndrome", who tend not to fall asleep until after midnight, and can fall asleep easily during the morning. The condition is more common in young adults, affecting approximately 7 to 16 percent of teens and young adults.

The behavioral changes described above can help if a person thinks they have the disorder. But if he finds that he's still not able to work, go to school or work every day, it might be a good idea to quickly see a doctor who specializes in sleep problems.