Sleep - The best way to change your life

Circadian Rhythms are the cyclical inner working of our body, sometimes referred to as the body's master clock

The master clock controls the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone) and is regulated by light intake via the optic nerves. As you can imagine, if you work outside these natural rhythms, like nature, it doesn't bode well. Circadian disruption has been linked to cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, and cancer.

​

If we follow our body’s natural cues regarding when to go to sleep and when to wake up, our body clock ticks over nicely, and our circadian rhythm stays balanced. But if we change our schedule, by staying up late or sleeping in, by eating certain types of food, or spending hours on screens, this can disrupt our body clock.

One of the most important things to know about sleep is that what we do when we are awake has an enormous impact on how we sleep at night. In the following section we will be talking about the quotidian (things that happen during the day, our daily cycle) habits that directly affect our Circadian rhythms and ability to sleep at night. 

The six horseman of terrible sleep 

THINGS THAT ARE SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN TO IMPACT UPON SLEEP QUALITY 

Sleep is one of the first things that I look at in my clinic room when people are presenting with a lack of vitality and motivation in life. When we are out of sync with our bodies our mental health really takes a solid whack. The first steps in recovery are taking deeper care of our bodies and being more in tune with the way we live.

Have you ever heard about the old wives tale about how one hour of sleep before midnight equals two after midnight? Well as it turns out the old wives were referring to something called Circadian Rhythms.

​

Ask any farmer and they will tell you that nature has different rhythms and cycles - if you work against them your crops will not grow and your animals will not thrive. When you work with the cycles of nature your crop is given the best chance to grow. As we are also a part of nature, humans are no different.