Zeitgebers & the Circadian Rhythm: Working With Environmental Cues to Encourage Healthy Sleep Habits

Many parents spend countless nights on exploratory journeys, devising ways to convince their children that sleep is a good idea. In nature, animals fall asleep naturally and easily. Their bodies respond to the environmental cues around them, such as the shift in temperature and change in light, that signal to their bodies that it’s time to rest. Until recently, the same has been true for humans as well. It’s easy to forget that the industrial revolution, the dawn of modern life as we know it, wasn’t really that long ago. Even in 1925, less than 100 years ago, only half of homes in the U.S. had electricity. Our bodies are still deeply conditioned to take note of the environment, and increase sleepiness or alertness accordingly. However, we’ve outfitted our homes with many comforts that interfere with these signals from nature. Blue Light and Sleeplessness The light emitted from most light bulbs and screens is a blue light that is received by the retina in such a way that it signals to stop the flow of melatonin, which naturally increases as light lowers, generating a sleepy feeling. Additionally, while it may sound counterintuitive, keeping the house too warm actually has a tendency to keep the brain awake, because the body associates warner temperatures with daytime, and cooler temperatures with a lack of sunlight, and therefore nighttime. Zeitgebers These environmental cues are called zeitgebers, which translates as “time giver”, or “synchronizer”. While ligh...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Uncategorized REST Sleep Top Sleep Source Type: blogs