Time Change…
Sunrise at Buffalo Ridge Golf Course
Is your circadian rhythm disrupted?
Daylight savings ends on Saturday, November 2nd, and we return to Central Standard Time in Missouri. The time change means our sunrise will go from 7:27 to 6:31.
However, Daylight Saving Time should not be our starting point to determine if your circadian rhythm is optimized. It should be another human invention: the weekend.
People often wake up at the same time every day from Monday to Friday, only to wake up much later on Saturday.
Waking up late on the weekend is a tell-tale sign.
Optimizing your circadian rhythm involves aligning your sleep with the natural light cycles. When your light environment is optimal, you experience exposure to natural light during the day and a dark environment at night. This consistency in light exposure helps regulate your sleep, ensuring you wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day.
If your circadian rhythm is optimized, there won't be any difference between Friday and Saturday regarding sleep.
You are not synced to the environment's light cycles if there is a difference. You either wake up randomly or at the sound of your alarm.
Let's consider the upcoming shift from DST. In reality, nothing about the sun changed in the United States. The sunrise still occurs at the same time. The only thing that changed was people's schedules. The sunrise happens at the same time, but the clocks now say 6:30 instead of 7:30.
It's important to remember that the clock changed, but the sun didn't. Our bodies should be synced with the natural light cycle, not the man-made clock cycle.
When your sleep schedule shifts automatically with the clock change, it indicates that you were never in sync with your light environment.
Going from CST (Central Standard Time) to CDT (Central Daylight Time) can harm your circadian rhythm. However, the shift from CDT to CST moves work or school one hour forward, meaning you have more time in the morning. You can usually see the sunrise unless your circadian rhythm disrupts your sleep, causing you to wake up later.
Suppose you live at a lower latitude, especially if you don't have DST (daylight saving time). Congratulations. You live where the light cycles are consistent throughout the year, i.e., Light Stability. A stable light environment gives us equal light and dark cycles, allowing for proper circadian timing throughout the year.
"But I have work/school, and I don't have a choice."
You may need to adjust your bedtime and wake-up time to align with the natural light cycle. This could involve gradually shifting your bedtime and wake-up time by 15-30 minutes each day until you reach your desired schedule.
The sun rises early, meaning you're most likely able to see it.
Don't forget that having an optimized circadian rhythm means going to sleep at the same time every day.
Even if you need to wake up at 5 am, you have the power to decide when to go to bed. School and work may dictate your wake-up time, but they cannot control your bedtime. By taking charge of your bedtime, you can ensure you get the sleep you need to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm.
If you're not in sync with the sun, you may experience depression, anxiety, fatigue, low testosterone, hormonal imbalances, skin problems, and insomnia.
