Sleep is very important because during sleep:
- a number of important hormones are being synthesized
- tissue growth and regeneration occurs
- the nervous system is being restored
- the detoxification processes is underway and
- the immune system is being restored.
The circadian rhythm is a mechanism that drives the internal 24 hour cycles in our body. When properly aligned, a circadian rhythm can promote consistent and restorative sleep. But when this circadian rhythm is thrown off, it can create significant sleeping problems, including insomnia. Studies demonstrate that circadian rhythms play an integral role in many aspects of physical and mental health.
Lack of normal sleep decreases leptin (the satiety hormone) and increases ghrelin (hunger hormone). That’s why, without normalizing sleep, weight loss is unlikely to be achieved.
Restoring sleep (namely, proper sleep pattern) is necessary
when solving any chronic diseases
It is very important to avoid night work!
A link has been found between work at night and the development of breast cancer. Also night work increases the risk of developing diabetes, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). There is evidence as well that those who experience chronic jetlag may develop a decrease of the temporal and frontal lobe (which is responsible for reasoning, cognitive and motor skills).
First task for you to improve your sleep is you need to create conditions for sleep:
- Sleep is best in complete silence and darkness ( blackout curtains, sleep mask)
- No exercising 2 hours before bedtime
- Try to create a cool temperature in your bedroom.
Studies show that the optimal temperature for sleep is 16-20 C. Taking a warm bath for 1.5-2 hours helps to fall asleep – the body temperature rises during the bath, and then falls, signalling to your body that you are ready for sleep (epsom salt or magnesium sulfate added to bath will significantly help you to relax)
Sleep quality depends on the efficiency of sleeping stages
Our sleep cycle is running between REM and non-REM sleep (REM stands for rapid eye movement)
- Non REM sleep is divided into 3 phases, where the third phase – deep sleep is especially important. During deep sleep we get maximum recovery! Unfortunately aging is linked with shorten span of deep sleep, although studies show you still need as much sleep as when you were younger.⠀Down below some ways to improve the deep sleep!
- REM sleep – during this phase we see dreams , this cycle can be repeated up to 4-5 times per night)
The glymphatic system is a functional waste clearance pathway for the central nervous system, it’s a network of cavities that surrounds small blood vessels in the brain. During sleep, these cavities (interstitial spaces) increase by more than 60 percent, as if swelling.
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Studies demonstrates that large amounts of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow through these spaces in a rhythmic manner during deep sleep to remove waste products!
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Poor sleep can disrupt the function of the glymphatic system, which is associated with various neurodegenerative diseases. Sleep disturbance is pronounced in people with Alzheimer’s and usually precedes the development of the disease.
According to studies GABA and l-theanine mixture decreases sleep latency and improves Non REM sleep.
What can improve our deep sleep?
1.l-theanine 200 -in the morning before breakfast
2.GABA – 2-3 hours before sleep
3.Magnesium glycinate 3-4 times a day.
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland and released exclusively at night. In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of melatonin for the treatment of sleep disturbances. Human studies have shown that short-term use of melatonin is safe, even in high doses, with only mild adverse effects such as dizziness, headache, nausea, and sleepiness. Exogenous melatonin was shown to reduce sleep latency while restoring chronobiological alignment of sleep with the internal biological clock without negative alteration of sleep architecture.
But is it that safe to use melatonin?
While its short-term use is considered safe, there are some concerns about administration of it.
Factors important for melatonin production:
1. Enough sunlight during day.
2. No light at night ( esp. blue light)
3. Normal function of hypothalamus and pineal gland.
- There are studies that demonstrated that administration of melatonin long-term can delay children’s sexual maturation, possibly by disrupting the decline in nocturnal melatonin levels that occur at the onset of puberty.
- Melatonin replacement affects EEG (changing pattern) differently than endogenous melatonin.
- Exogenous melatonin has been reported to increase the degree of photoreceptor damage in albino rats, delay of their recovery and in general decrease of circadian effectiveness.
- In general, exogenous melatonin will not reflect the amount of sunlight absorbed in retina thus negatively affecting work of pineal gland.
Conclusion?
Before considering taking melatonin have a look : what are the reasons of sleep disturbances? Without improving your environment and normal sleep routines exogenous melatonin cannot be a solution.
#sleep #improvesleep #circadianrhythms