Sleep and Your Body Clock

The body's "biological clock," or 24-hour cycle (circadian rhythms), controls your sleep-wake cycle and affects body temperature and other important functions. Body clock sleep problems have been linked to a hormone called melatonin, which helps you fall and stay asleep. Light and dark affect how your body makes melatonin. Most melatonin is made at night. During the day, the light tells your body to make less melatonin. So, if you work at night in artificial light, your body may make less melatonin than it needs.

Things that affect your body clock and may cause sleep problems include:

• Jet lag
  Crossing more than a couple of time zones disrupts your internal clock, as your body hasn't adjusted and thinks you're still at home. For example, if you fly from Chicago to Rome, you cross seven time zones. This means that Rome is seven hours ahead of Chicago, so when you land in Rome at 6:00 AM your body thinks it's still in Chicago at 11:00 PM the previous night. Your body wants to sleep, but in Rome, the day has just begun.
  
  
• Changes to your sleep schedule
  When you work at night and sleep during the day, your body's internal clock needs to reset itself, which is sometimes hard to do. People who work the night shift or rotate shifts may have trouble sleeping during the day and may feel tired at night when they need to be alert for work.
  
  
• Your sleep environment
  Too much light or noise can make your body feel like it's not time to sleep.
  
  
• Illness
  Certain illnesses and health problems, such as dementia, a head injury, recovering from a coma, and severe depression, can affect sleep patterns. In addition, some medications used to treat these or other health conditions, or those that affect the central nervous system, may also affect sleep routines.
  
  
• Drugs and alcohol
  Some drugs disrupt sleep. And although you may fall asleep easily after drinking alcohol, doing so before bed can wake you up later in the night.
  
  
• Being a "night owl" or an "early bird"
  Night owls have a hard time falling asleep until very late at night or early morning hours. Early birds fall asleep early (around or before 8:00 PM) and wake up early (between 3:00 and 5:00 AM). These sleep patterns may or may not cause problems, depending on each person's lifestyle and work or school schedule.

Self-Care When Working Nights or Shifts
When you work nights or rotating shifts, taking good care of yourself can be a challenge. It's common to feel "off," tired, or disconnected from the rest of the world. And that can make it hard to get into a good, healthy routine. The following tips may help you make some changes. Your doctor may recommend things for you to try. You can choose the ones that you feel ready to try.

• Get good sleep
  Because our bodies typically prefer to sleep at night, it can be tough to get good, restful sleep during the day. To help your body prepare for sleeping during the day, you can:
  • Wear dark glasses on your way home from work to help send a message to your body that it's almost time to sleep
  • Avoid caffeine drinks for at least six hours before you go to sleep
  • Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and cool
    • Use curtains, blinds, or a sleep mask, and cover digital clocks with a towel to block out light
    • Try earplugs, soothing music, or a "white noise" machine.
  • Stop using devices, such as TVs, smartphones, computers, or tablets, at least an hour before you go to bed
  • Do something to relax before bed
    • Try a warm shower or bath or do some deep breathing or stretching
      
      
• Keep the same sleep and wake times, even on non-work days
  
  
• Take care of your body
  It may be hard to keep up your regular exercise routine, but you can try to get in some extra activity at work:
  • Take a walk during your breaks
    • If you work at a desk, do stretches in front of your computer
  • Use your commute to do some extra walking
    • Park several blocks away, or get off the bus a few stops early
  • Use the stairs instead of the elevator
    
    
• Have meals at regular intervals
  Eating at set times is important for your body. Not getting enough sleep can often make you feel hungry. If you feel hungry:
  • Ask yourself: "Am I hungry enough to eat an apple?"
    If you're not hungry enough for an apple, then your body may not be truly hungry.
  • Drink water
    Dehydration can feel like hunger, so drinking more water can help.
    
    
• Take medications safely
  Changes in your schedule can sometimes make it harder to remember to take your medications.
  • Try setting an alert on your phone or using a daily pill box.
  • Keep a supply of medicines at work if you'll need them there.
    
    
• Make rotating shifts easier
  If your shift times change often:
  • Talk to your manager about keeping shift changes to a minimum, if possible
  • Try to have shifts rotate clockwise
    • It's easier for your body to adjust when going from a day shift to an evening shift or from an evening shift to a night shift, as opposed to random shift changes
      
      
• Stay connected to your loved ones
  Missing out on important events or having to sleep when everyone else is awake can be hard on you and your family. To help stay connected to the people you love:
  • Make a calendar for the whole family that includes your work and sleep hours so everyone knows when they can expect to see you 
  • Plan a weekly activity that you can all look forward to, like calling your kids or partner on scheduled breaks

Source: Healthwise