What is your biological clock?
Your biological clock regulates a great deal in your body. It is, as it were, an internal timing mechanism in your body that regulates biological processes. Think of the sleep-wake rhythm, hormone release, and body temperature. The circadian clock—which is another name for your biorhythm—lasts approximately 24 hours and is synchronized with the day-night cycle.
How does your biological clock influence sleep?
Regulation of the sleep-wake rhythm
Your biological clock plays an important role in regulating the sleep-wake rhythm. It ensures that we feel sleepy at the end of the day and awake and alert during the day. For example, the biological clock regulates the release of melatonin, the hormone that helps the body prepare for sleep. In the evening, your melatonin level increases, which gives you that sleepy feeling.
Quality of sleep
The biological clock also influences the quality of sleep. People naturally have different sleep times determined by their internal clock, known as a chronotype. People with an evening type (night owls) tend to go to bed later and wake up later, while morning types (early birds) go to bed earlier and wake up earlier.
Disruption
Your biorhythm can be disrupted by, for example, night shifts or shifts where you have an irregular sleep pattern. The same applies to parties that last until the early hours. Jet lag can also cause a lot of disruption; because you are traveling to a different time zone, you may notice that you are sleepy during the day or have difficulty falling asleep at night. Furthermore, artificial light also influences your biological clock. Your body tunes into light and dark to determine whether it is time to sleep; if you look at screens for a long time in the evening, it may be harder for you to fall asleep because your melatonin has not been produced properly yet. Caffeine, stress, and other health problems can also affect your biorhythm.
Supporting your biological clock
The clocks will be set on March 31, 2024; at 02:00 at night, the clock goes forward one hour. This also affects your biological clock and your rhythm. You can support yourself with the following tips, not just when the clocks are changed, but throughout the entire year ;)
- A regular sleep schedule: try to go to sleep around the same time and wake up around the same time every day. Yep... even on the weekend. This helps your body develop a consistent sleep-wake cycle and stabilizes your own biological clock.
- Natural light: Go outside as soon as you wake up and try to see as much natural light as possible during the day. This helps you stay more alert during the day.
- Artificial light: Turn on the lights as little as possible in the evening and look at screens of laptops, TVs, phones, or tablets as little as possible. This light can suppress the release of melatonin, which makes it harder to fall asleep.
- Evening routine: Create a pleasant evening routine for yourself where you get ready for bed. Think about showering, lighting candles, reading a book, and meditating. As long as it is restful, it helps your body relax. In addition, it helps to maintain a similar routine so that you 'recognize' the moment you are getting ready for bed and your body prepares for it.
- Exercise: Make sure you get enough exercise during the day and keep moving; it can help you get a better night's sleep. Ensure that you do not train intensely just before going to sleep, as the energy released from doing so can make you feel more awake.
