It's common to feel restless and not being able to sleep at night. However, if you think that consistently, you should probably look into your internal clock and try fixing your sleep cycle; after all, it's crucial to sleep and rest well for health and wellbeing. You may think that you sleep well and don't need to think about resetting your clock. But someday, if the clock is disrupted, you must know how to reset your internal clock.
Constant sleep disruptions can cause more significant sleep problems. You can learn to regulate the internal clock to control your sleep disruptions and avoid other issues. When you learn to reset your internal clock, you'll sleep better, and the body will remain active throughout the day.
What is an Internal or Sleep Clock?
The sleep clock or internal is the circadian rhythm that tracks the environmental changes in the body. For example, the clock helps the body to understand changes such as day and night, circulating light and temperature changes to different body parts, learning about eating, sleeping, and waking up.
Our bodies' internal clocks follow a 24 hours cycle and reset again so the body can get enough rest and nutrition. However, sometimes the circadian rhythm falls out and gets disrupted due to various reasons. This disruption of the internal clock can harm the energy required during the day and the rest needed at night.
How to Reset Internal Clock?
Don't be alarmed since there are ways to fix an internal clock and bring it back on track. Regulating your circadian rhythm will help your body understand the dynamics of schedules the way you desire. Below are various proven methods to reset your internal clock.
- Change in lighting
One of the ways you can use when your biological clock has gone out of sync is light. You just need to be in sync with the light rhythms from the natural world. Using light as a tool is because the body signals to increase melatonin production when there's low light around you. Melatonin is a hormone manufactured in the pituitary gland that induces sleep in the body.
Thus, when the light around you is higher, the production of melatonin is at a halt. For example, we don't feel sleepy during the day, especially in summer, because the light is high.
So, what can you do to take advantage of these natural lights? Get out of the house for some natural light exposure during the day. To regulate your internal, it's crucial to seek out some natural sunlight. If you work from home or stay in mostly, keep bright lights in the room during the day. You can start to dim these artificial lights in the evening and turn them off when it's bedtime.
Along with turning off lights, your bedroom should also be free from gadgets such as smartphones, TVs, or laptops. These electronic devices emit blue light in high quantity, which can stop the production of melatonin. However, some people need to keep electronic devices close. They should keep the gadgets in night mode to avoid unnecessary blue light emissions.
- Change in eating habits
What you eat affects your internal clock. Not to forget, the time of food intake also affects the biological clock. For example, eating heavy calories such as meat, dairy, and fats is not suitable before bedtime. The best way to regulate food intake is to eat heavily and go light as the day advances. Thus, your breakfast will be heavier, and the last meal of the day will be light.
The circadian rhythm adapts to the availability of food. Thus, if your eating schedule is not in sync, it will also throw off your sleep schedules. However, you can prevent such problems from happening. Fasting is a good and effective option if you know that the eating schedule will be disrupted in advance. Fasting for 16 hours with an early dinner can bring your circadian rhythm back on track.
Eating at regular intervals also promotes the sleep-wake cycle. The critical calculation is to make sure there are around 12 hours of gap between breakfast and dinner. Also, make sure to have dinner a few hours before going to bed. To keep the circadian rhythm in control, make sure to have dinner a few hours before bed and breakfast shortly after waking up.
- Change in staying awake
Though it's debatable, some studies suggest staying up for 24 hours can help the circadian rhythm to get back on track. For example, let's say you've fallen into the habit of sleeping at 3 am. So, instead of sleeping at 3 am, you need to stay up till the next night to reset the internal clock. Thus, you don't have to be awake till 3 am but only till 10 pm if that's when you want to sleep. Your body will be tired enough and fall asleep quickly, resetting your internal clock.
The 24-hour awake will jumpstart your internal clock and helps to regulate from scratch. However, not sleeping for such a long time also has its side effects. You're taking a step towards sleep deprivation, and that's not in your control. So it's better to avoid driving and other activities that could put you at risk. It is a natural technique to reset your internal, and you can also consult a doctor before trying for assistance.
How to Reset Sleep Cycle?
You can use the methods we mentioned above. You can try other techniques, such as sleeping outside and becoming one with nature. However, it is advised to make gradual changes and not rush into anything. It is crucial not to tip off the body over the edge or mare than it can handle. Thus, discretion and baby steps are advised. Do what is in power, like getting a comfortable mattress that promotes sleep.
If you're not sure how a mattress can promote sleep, visit a mattress store where sleep experts can help. For example, Mancini's Sleepworld has more than 50 years of experience, and their sleep experts understand your requirements. They also have a new technology known as the SleepMatch that tests your comfort and provides mattress solutions by calculating thousands of parameters.