Time keeps on ticking; as we all know, time speeds up the older we get. We can relate this phenomenon to several things, such as increasing responsibilities and the seemingly endless stream of obligations and commitments that leave us stressed about how to sleep early.
As we progress in years, our bodies change a great deal. Our sleeping patterns are one of the most noticeable changes. It’s well known that older adults tend to wake up earlier and have more trouble falling asleep at night. But did you know that this change is linked to our circadian rhythm?
Circadian rhythm is the internal clock that dictates when you feel sleepy and awake. When it’s off, it makes everyday activities more difficult. Fortunately, there are certain things you can do to cope with your circadian rhythm.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the circadian rhythm, how it works, how ageing impacts the circadian rhythm, and ways to cope with it.
Circadian Rhythm: How Does It Work?
Circadian rhythm is one of four biological rhythms in our body. It is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It is controlled by an “internal body clock” that is set by several components such as,
Cells in the body
Cells in the brain are susceptible to light and dark. So they send signals to other cells about when it’s time to be sleepy or awake.
Hormones
When it’s dark outside, our body produces a hormone called melatonin which makes us feel sleepy. When it’s light outside, our body stops producing melatonin, and we feel more awake.
Other factors
Circadian rhythm is influenced by many factors, including your body temperature and metabolism, where the temperature drops during sleep and rises during awake hours.
Many factors are influenced, such as working hours, physical activity, stress and anxiety, other habits or lifestyle choices, and even age!
For most people older than 50 years old, their body clock tells them it’s time to sleep around 7 pm-8 pm, and they should wake up at 3 am or 4 am. But, unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen because there still exists something called “the human clock”, which kicks into gear every few hours, sending out an irresistible signal between 2 am – 5 am.
It is not uncommon for older adults to have trouble sleeping at night. As they age, their natural tendency towards waking up causes them more sleeplessness than before because of less deep slumber and REM cycles.
On average, an older person will wake up 3 to 4 times each night, which means that though they sleep, it makes them feel like spending most nights awake. [source]
The Reason Behind The Change In A Circadian Rhythm By Age
Understanding the circadian rhythm and its fluctuations is an exciting journey that begins with our eyes. Though the reasons for this shift are still unknown, it is due to biological factors like eye health or exposure patterns of one’s home environment which affects melatonin levels over time as they grow older.
Since light plays such an essential role in regulating our sleep-wake cycles, there are two possibilities:
First, ageing eyes let less shortwave UVB through.
Spending less overall amount outdoors due to lifestyle changes.
Reduced daylight hours are because we spend more time indoors, where artificial lighting sources are less effective at controlling these rhythms over long periods.
Although our sleep patterns change as we age, there are things we can do to help improve the quality of our sleep.
It is not easy to stay awake at times when your body naturally wants the opposite, so getting better sleep as you age may be a way of shifting that schedule. Try tricking your hormone release and body with these steps:
You can try going to bed and waking up at the regular time every day.
Getting more light throughout the daytime also helps delay release eventuality, allowing a person to get adequate rest without having any issues falling asleep soon.
You can achieve better sleep by getting dark enough that melatonin will start working correctly during evening hours when darkness has set overhead.
So, by understanding your circadian rhythm and creating a mental association between bed and sleep, you can get a good night’s rest easier. And don’t forget that a healthy lifestyle is a key to maintaining a robust circadian rhythm. So, get plenty of light during the day, and better sleep at night.
