A Better Understanding Of Your Circadian Rhythm and Sleep-Wake Cycles

Like a plant, we rely on certain cues to know when it’s time to rest, and when it’s time to be awake. While plants utilize the sun for photosynthesis, we use it for other natural processes. Unlike plants, though, we can easily find that our circadian rhythms have been thrown off. If you don’t maintain adequate sleep-wake cycles, you can suffer from a whole host of health problems. First discovered by Jean Jacques d’Ortuous de Marian in the late 18th century, the term “circadian rhythm” wasn’t officially coined until 1959. Today, though, it is common knowledge that each of us has an internal clock that guides us throughout the day - from sleep to wake. So what exactly is your circadian rhythm - and why is it so important? We’ll tell you all about it in this article.

Understanding Your Circadian Rhythm

Simply put, your body’s natural cycle is a feedback loop. Your genes are activated, triggering the creation of certain proteins. When those protein levels reach a certain threshold during the day, the genes are switched off. Then, those proteins are degraded and broken back down. The genes turn back on, and the cycle restarts itself. Usually, this entire process takes about 24 hours. The term “circadian” comes from the Latin terms “circa,” or “about,” and “diem,” or “day.” there is a whole branch of science that is dedicated to the study of the circadian rhythm, in fact - it is known as chronobiology.

This discipline extends far beyond humans, too. All creatures are governed by daily cycles, responding to both light and darkness. They are found even in the world’s tiniest microbes. Sometimes referred to as your biological clock, your circadian rhythm impacts just about every organ and every tissue. There are similar genes that govern these processes in creatures like fruit flies, fungi, mice, and more. Your biological clock and your circadian rhythm are not one and the same, but closely related - your biological clock produces your circadian rhythms and influences their timing. Natural factors within the body produce their own circadian rhythms. That said, there are certain signals from the environment that can impact your rhythms, most notably, daylight.

Breaking Down Your Circadian Rhythm

As with any other type of rhythm, a circadian rhythm is one that has a strong, repeated pattern that reoccurs on a regular basis. In order for a rhythm to be considered a circadian rhythm, it must meet three specific criteria. For instance, a circadian rhythm must have a period of duration that lasts about 24 hours. This can be in constant light, in constant darkness, or in a  combination of the two. It also must be entrainable, or able to be rest by certain stimuli.

If that confuses you, think about the times in which you may have experienced jet lag. You didn’t suffer from jet lag forever, did you? Admittedly, it might feel like you did! However, you will recover from jet lag once you reach a new time zone and you are regularly exposed to stimuli like light and noise. Finally, a circadian rhythm will not be affected by your temperature.

Regardless of where temperature changes - inside of you or externally - it should not affect your circadian rhythm. This is what differentiates us from reptiles, after all. With those three criteria in mind, know that your circadian rhythm affects a variety of factors in your daily functioning. It can influence when you wake up, what time you go to sleep, how much sleep you get, and more.

In a perfect world, we would wake up with the sun and go to sleep with the sun. This is true for just about every diurnal animal on earth, but there are certain factors that can throw off your circadian rhythm and make it function abnormally. If your circadian rhythm is thrown out of whack, it’s important that you address it immediately.

Circadian rhythms don’t just influence your sleep and wake cycles, but they also impact the release of hormones, your eating habits and digestion, the temperature of your body, and more. Biological clocks that are running too slowly or too quickly can cause your circadian rhythm to be disrupted. In turn, this can lead to chronic health conditions like diabetes, obesity, sleep disorders, depression, and even seasonal affective disorder.

What Happens When Your Circadian Rhythm is Thrown Off

Your circadian rhythm performs a variety of critical functions. It not only governs your ability to sleep and wake at certain times, but it also helps regulate your body temperature and even the release of hormones. Without a properly functioning circadian rhythm, you won’t know when it is time to eat, sleep, rest, etc. There are both immediate and long term impacts of a faulty circadian rhythm.

For one, your internal clock will result in a distributed sleep and wake cycle. You might find that you feel exhausted during the day yet can’t sleep at night. Also referred to as excessive daytime sleepiness, this condition can lead to impaired reaction time, reduced cognitive function, and a weakened capacity for creating, storing, and processing memories.

You may even find that your digestive system and metabolism are affected by a disturbed circadian rhythm! What’s more, an impaired circadian rhythm can result in several other implications. You might find that you have heart problems, suffer from weight gain, or even suffer from various neurological problems. You may have a hard time adjusting to a normal sleep schedule and you could have a difficult time resetting yourself.

Keep in mind that not everybody’s circadian rhythm is built alike. Each person is governed by their own “master clock.” The master clock is simply a group of neurons in the section of the brain known as the hypothalamus. This clock interprets cues from the environment, turning them into clear directives for the rest of the body. Your biological clock can be set earlier or later, but the cues that are available in the environment will impact everyone.

When you go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day, exposing yourself to darkness and sunlight in the process, your body is being controlled by its biological clock. When changes occur, such as too much blue light in the evenings or too much travel resulting in jet lag, you will suffer from an impaired circadian rhythm.

How Is It Possible To Throw Off Something This Important?

There are several culprits involved when it comes to messing up your own circadian rhythm. One of the most common is frequent travel that results in changes in time zones. These changes disrupt the typical day and night structure that you are used to. The more you travel, the easier it is for your circadian rhythm to become damaged.

Certain electronic devices, particularly when used right before bed, can also throw off your circadian rhythm. These devices emit blue light, which tricks your brain into producing melatonin at the wrong times. Melatonin is a chemical that is vital for good sleep - and without it, your sleep will suffer.

Certain sleep-related disorders, both related and unrelated to the factors mentioned above, can also cause a disturbance in your circadian rhythm. There are specific disorders, too, such as Circadian Rhythm Disorder, that can throw you out of whack. This disorder causes your body to become misaligned from normal sleep-wake rhythms as well as the light-dark cycle. Your internal clock will need to be reset entirely.

Finally, there are other factors that may or may not be beyond your control that can cause your circadian rhythm to be thrown off. One of these is frequent shift work. Shift work that is not standardized is a particular problem. If you are used to working only  night shifts, your body can acclimate and get used to that schedule over time. However, if you switch back and forth between day and night shifts, you may have a difficult time adjusting.

Snoring, either your own or your partners, can cause disturbances in circadian rhythm functioning, too. In fact, many snorers wake up many times throughout the night. It doesn’t matter how you deal with things once you find that you’ve woken up  -what matters is that you are waking up (and that’s a huge problem).

How to Get Back on Track

Luckily, getting your circadian rhythm back on track isn’t as tricky as it seems. There are many steps you can take to reset your internal clock and keep it functioning as normal. The most important thing you need to consider is consistency - you need to get yourself functioning in a consistent manner. If you work in an environment in which your schedule does not allow for consistency, you may have a harder time at reversing your circadian rhythm dysfunction.

However, you may be able to improve things by adding the following modifications. First, start by considering the environmental cues you are exposed to during the day. In the evening hours, switch over to a low light setting. Consider reading, writing, drawing, or engaging in some other non-electronic activity before you go to bed. Set a timer for at least one hour before you need to go to sleep so that your body has plenty of time to acclimate. That means no television, too!

Make sure your bedroom is set up for sleep and only sleep. Don’t watch television in bed, as this can trick your brain into thinking it is not time to be asleep. Try to avoid large, heavy meals right before bed, as your metabolism will shoot into overdrive and make it more difficult for you to fall (and stay) asleep. Modify and manipulate the lighting you are exposed to throughout the day. Particularly for issues related to disturbances in circadian rhythms caused by jet lag, this tip can be super effective. Light and dark are often cues for your circadian rhythm, telling you when to be tired and when to be awake.

If you want to sync your brain to a new time zone, you should restrain it to a new schedule. For example, if you are traveling east by more than six time zones, you will want to make sure you get light between eleven in the morning and five at night. You should avoid light between three in the morning and nine in the morning.

You can move one hour each way for each time zone you need to adjust to. Adjusting and normalizing your meal times can also help you recover from a disturbed circadian rhythm. When you eat, you can reset your circadian rhythm and sleep clock. Fasting for sixteen hours can reset your sleep clock and reduce jet lag. Once your sleep is back where it needs to be, you can return to regular breakfast and dinner times.

Finally, you should avoid taking naps during the day. If you feel tired, try to push through. You may be able to drink something with caffeine to get you through the after lunch slump, but try to avoid drinking too much caffeine during the day, as this can make matters much worse. Otherwise, avoiding a nap is important as it will help you realign your sleep-wake cycle.

One more unique recommendation if you are suffering from a disturbed circadian rhythm? Go camping! Camping is not only an enjoyable pastime, but it can also reset your circadian rhythm because it will eliminate your exposure to electrical lighting, laptops, smartphones, and other “blue” light. You will be able to adapt your sleeping clock to solar time, as the sun will be your cue to get some sleep - or to wake up.

A Sleep-Wake Cycle That Never Ends

Whether you are a night owl or an early bird, your sleep-wake cycle is something that is genetically pre-dispositioned. You are born into an environment where your sleep cycle and even your evolution as a human being was influenced by a 24-hour light cycle. While circadian rhythm isn’t something that’s super difficult to understand, it can be tricky to determine which factors are throwing off your particular circadian rhythm. You will need to do some work in order to understand which factors affect your own cycle - and how you can get them back in check.

Rebekah Pierce is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Rebekah is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sleep education, natural, sleep products, electronics, fashion and many more. She is passionate about her work and family.

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