Your body’s natural clock
In our last blog, we discussed jet lag and the effects of travel on our body’s natural “clock”. Let’s learn more about that natural clock and how it effects our sleep.
What is our natural clock?
Our body’s natural Circadian Biological Clock regulates the timing of periods of sleepiness and wakefulness throughout the day. Your body’s circadian rhythm dips and rises throughout the day. Adults usually experience the largest dips during early morning times around 2 to 4 am and afternoon. Making sure that you have had plenty of rest will help you to avoid a serious dip in the afternoon that can leave you feeling drowsy at work.
Changes to your natural clock
You may notice that your teen seems to suddenly be sleeping in and staying up late. This is due to changes in their circadian rhythm. Many teens experience a delay in their sleeping phases and suddenly they are struggling to fall asleep before 11:00 PM. Their circadian rhythm can suddenly rise later in the day and be causing their struggle. This can throw off their entire sleeping schedule because teens will need to wake up for school, but are still in a circadian rhythm dip when waking if they are not getting their much-needed sleep in the night. This dip can even last until 10:00 AM and be more pronounced due to the lack of sleep.
