Sleep Better
Time to change; adapting to the daylight savings time - By: Donna Mueller, D.O.
Each person has an internal “clock”, called a Circadian Rhythm, that tells them when to sleep and may even help them wake up. Twice a year in the place geographically where we live here in the United States, worldwide 1.6 billion people experience daylight savings time (some places do not observe DST), we change the time to either “Spring forward” or “Fall back”. During the World Wars daylight savings time was created to conserve energy for the war effort. Many of us benefit from the longer hours of daylight, but it can also take it’s toll on us physically. Your body’s sleep and other functions (heart function, GI processes, metabolism, and even some thinking abilities) are governed by your brain, independent of things happening around you (2). Light exposure may impact these processes governed by Circadian Rhythm. Melatonin production in our body also impacts one’s sleep wake cycles. This specific kind of hormonal neurochemical, made by the pineal gland is signaled by darkness to bring sleep. When less light rays reach the retinas of our eyes this then stimulates production of melatonin by the hypothalamus in the brain. Then as these hormonal levels rise sleep onset begins. Melatonin may remain elevated in the bloodstream for about 12 hours and is barely detectable during the daytime. Bright light inhibits melatonin. It is unclear from the research if taking supplements of melatonin is any more effective than the use of “Light Therapy” alone, this is according to the sleep foundation (4 ).
Without the dimming of the environment, melatonin will NOT be produced, even if the pineal gland active! Artificial light (think bright screens here too) can inhibit the release of melatonin or disrupt the production. Supplementing with this hormone over-the-counter, if done without proper supervision, may have untoward effects on one’s Circadian Rhythms.
Changes in sleep pattern, such as a one hour loss caused by Spring Daylight Savings Time, disrupts human Circadian clock’s seasonal adjustment. In studies sleep loss impairs the ability of the body to extract glucose from the bloodstream, executive function suffers and can cause cognitive impairment particularly in children. One study showed sixth graders dropped two grade levels in terms of cognitive performance within the first few days of adjustment for Spring DST(1).
Light therapy is the way to help in the process. Adding a source of light that comes on automatically every morning while you sleep may help to alter your awakening. Exposing oneself to gradual increases in light can switch the hormonal cascade of melatonin off, allowing one to shift the sleep/wake cycle naturally. Alarm clocks with a feature that includes a light can help facilitate the cycle. Keeping as regular a sleep schedule as possible can improve this process as well.
Treating changes in sleep arising from things like travel or time change from DST can be done by altering behavior (chronotherapy=going to bed later) combined with good sleep hygiene (reducing phone screen time in evening and turning off TV at night) possibly the use of timed light therapy as mentioned above. Chronotherapy is a treatment where sleep and wake cycles are progressively delayed 3 hours every 2 days until a final “earlier bedtime” schedule is arrived at. Maintenance of chronotherapy schedule is often difficult for people because of strict schedules for school and work activities, along with the need for careful control and light exposure (3).
Simply choosing behaviors like settling down at night with the decreasing of cell phone & computer screen time, cutting the television off before bed (rather than sleeping to it), and avoiding substances that disrupt sleep like PM caffeine and alcohol can improve one’s sleep at night. A cup of warm chamomile tea in the evening is a really comforting, benign, and accessible method to induce a more relaxed feeling to bring about sleep as well. Adding in timed regular daily exercise, such as brisk walking on a schedule that is not too close to bed, also provides a sounder sleep.
Better sleep has been shown to improve cognitive processes, help people maintain healthier weight, and allows one to feel well and refreshed! Usually we do not pay much attention to small steps we can take to improve health by regulating things that may be within our control such as sleep. While there are times like daylight savings where we have no control over the loss of sleep, many times we can impact our own health by taking charge of small changes. I encourage and challenge you to examine your sleep hygiene and schedule and make a change for the better! Many times aspects of our lives are more within our control than we know. While we cannot control the clock, we can control our time so we can get better rest.
Bronson, Po, and Ashley Merryman. Nurtureshock. Hachette, New York, 2009.
Kanterman, Thomas, et. al. The human’s circadian clock’s seasonal adjustment is disrupted by daylight savings time. Current Biol., vol 17 (22): pps 1996-2000, Nov. 2007.
Zhou, Lirong, and P.C. Zee. Circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Neurol Clin. 2012 November ; 30(4): 1167– 1191. doi:10.1016/j.ncl.2012.08.0 11.
www.sleepfoundation.org