Springing forward is somewhat less welcome—though its effects should be short-lived. Tips that can help when this sleep schedule change comes around:. For bigger leaps, try these suggestions:. Whatever your sleep schedule, try to avoid or at least reduce exposure to blue light within three hours of bedtime. Research shows that the blue light emitted by computers, smartphones, TVs and LED lightbulbs can prevent the body from producing the sleep hormone melatonin.
One simple intervention is to dim the brightness on these devices. Many electronic devices now offer apps or filters you can use to dim the blue light. Another highly effective way of blocking blue-light exposure at night is putting on a pair of orange-tinted glasses that block blue light. This eyewear can be particularly helpful for night-shift workers who work on their computer or watch TV in the hours before sleep.
People who play video games and do work on their computers late at night can also benefit from wearing these glasses. People who permanently work the night shift may be able to flip their sleep schedule completely, but off-days can create problems if social and family obligations cause them to reverse their sleep-wake habits for a day or two per week. A study showed that bright light therapy reduced sleep fragmentation you wake up less often during the night and improved sleep efficiency you spend more time in bed sleeping from But you should avoid light exposure in the hours before bed or wear blue-light blocking glasses.
Research indicates light restriction in the evening, coupled with bright light exposure in the morning, led to earlier sleep and wake times for people with delayed sleep phase syndrome a late sleep-wake cycle. The Journal of Sleep discovered night shift workers who expose themselves to bright light during the night and wear dark goggles when traveling home during the day managed to sync their biological schedules with their work hours.
RISE can help you manage your light exposure to reset your sleep schedule. As previously mentioned, caffeine, alcohol, and large meals have the power to delay your sleep time and screw up your regular programming. RISE can help you avoid that by sending you timely reminders on when to stop consuming them. Research indicates combining caffeine with a short nap no more than 15 minutes significantly reduces sleepiness to help you feel more awake.
An evening wind-down is essential to resetting your sleep schedule. As you can imagine, the prolonged sleep latency you take longer to fall asleep may further throw off your sleep schedule. On top of that, an intentionally scheduled wind down before bed is an effective tool to prevent sleep procrastination from sneaking up on you. RISE can help you customize your evening wind-down to become part of your bedtime routine based on your unique needs and preferences.
Choose between activities like:. An optimal sleep environment will help you meet your sleep need when resetting your sleep schedule. Use this checklist to make the necessary adjustments to your bedroom:. Sometimes, due to work or social obligations, such as working a night shift or traveling to a different time zone, you can't fall asleep within your Melatonin Window.
In such cases, you may want to consider melatonin supplements to help fix your sleep-wake cycle. Contrary to sleep medicine that often comes with unintended side effects , melatonin supplements are natural sleep aids to help you fall asleep more easily and meet your sleep need. The Journal of Sleep Research found that 5 mg of melatonin taken five hours before your DLMO can spark your evening melatonin production 1. In fact, the study's participants slept significantly earlier, took less time to fall asleep, and felt more refreshed in the morning.
On the flip side, taking melatonin in the morning delays your sleep patterns. This is useful for those who have to go to bed later than their biological sleep-wake cycle — think night-shift workers or catching a red-eye flight.
In any case, take note of your target bedtimes i. This is because straightening out your sleep-wake cycle also involves your daytime behaviors, which incidentally comes under the wide umbrella of sleep hygiene — an umbrella that also encompasses your circadian rhythm which is to say, the timing of behaviors to your chronobiology is key.
This is where RISE comes in handy. The app helps you navigate your biological rhythm with understanding and ease to reap the full benefits of good sleep hygiene. Apple Podcasts. Try RISE, free for 7 days:. Here's a quick rundown of how your circadian clock operates relative to light exposure and influences your sleep schedule: Waking up: Natural light or artificial light prompts the suprachiasmatic nucleus SCN , which is located in the hypothalamus, to produce circadian-alerting signals.
Instead, get up and do something either boring or relaxing, she said. Stop pressing the snooze button. She said to set your alarm to the time you actually want to wake up. Give yourself an hour to unwind, she said.
You can learn more about Silberman at her website and follow her on Twitter , where she shares links to articles on sleep. Hypersomnia, or excessive daytime sleepiness, can have major effects on your life. That said, treatment and support are available. What happens in each stage of sleep? How long does it take to get through all 4 cycles? Find out these answers and more in our guide here.
It's not a commercial: It's years of research and compiled data. Learn what tips studies show will guide you into sleeping deep and waking refreshed. You're not sleeping well — or at all — but symptoms are starting to spread to other areas of your life.
0コメント