The cause may be your "internal clock"!
Could that sleepiness and fatigue be due to your internal clock?
I've been feeling really sleepy lately...
I can't fall asleep at night because I'm awake, but I can't wake up in the morning.
Have you ever suddenly realized it was past noon and felt like, "Huh? I feel a bit dazed again today?"
If you think you might just be tired, the cause of your discomfort may actually be a misalignment of your internal clock.
This time, we'll be introducing you to the secrets of this "internal clock" and how to adjust it so that you can wake up feeling refreshed every day.
The true cause of feeling "sluggish" may be a disruption of rhythm
Your body clock is your body's natural rhythm, like waking up in the morning and feeling sleepy at night.
When this rhythm is disrupted, the following can happen:
- I feel sleepy no matter what I do
- My head feels fuzzy and hurts
- The food doesn't taste good
- I feel depressed and unmotivated
It's like a full course of poor health (laughs).
But this is nothing special.
In this day and age, we often spend our time looking at our smartphones until late at night, working late, or wandering around in the bright lights of convenience stores...
Because this "night-owl lifestyle" has become the norm, I think there are actually more people whose internal clocks are out of whack.
Did you know that melatonin is the hormone that controls your body clock?
The hormone that controls the body clock is melatonin.
Melatonin is secreted at night, signaling to your body that it's time to go to sleep.
Then, when you are exposed to light in the morning, you'll think, "Okay, melatonin is finished! Time to switch to activity mode!"
In other words, the morning light is the "alarm switch" and the darkness of the night is the "sleepiness switch."
It's like there's a little staff member inside my body that sees the light and switches me off, saying, "Oh, it's morning."
…It would be kind of cute (lol)
Can you schedule your sleep in the morning?
It's a bit of a strange story, but when the human body is exposed to light in the morning, it makes a reservation to become sleepy 14 to 16 hours later.
For example, if you are exposed to light at 7am, melatonin will be secreted between 9pm and 11pm, making you naturally sleepy.
In other words, "morning light = reserved for nighttime sleepiness."
So, if you have trouble falling asleep, the key is to focus on the morning rather than on measures to be taken at night.
When you wake up, open the curtains and let in 15 seconds of sunlight.
Just by doing that, you can give yourself the gift of a good night's sleep.
4 habits to regulate your body clock
Now, let me introduce some daily tips to help you keep your body clock in good shape.
You don't have to do everything, just do what you can, little by little!
1. Breakfast is "wake-up meal"
Eating breakfast tells your internal organs that it's time to get up.
It doesn't have to be anything special, just bread and coffee, or rice balls and miso soup is fine.
Just putting something in your stomach can have an effect on your rhythm.
2. When you wake up, get some sunlight.
Exposure to morning light resets your body clock.
Just going out to the balcony and taking a deep breath before going to work, or opening the curtains and looking at the morning sky is enough.
As long as the sun is on your face, that's all you need.
(Of course, even if you wake up with a messy head, it's no problem!)
3. Keep your wake-up time as consistent as possible
If you wake up at 7am on weekdays and sleep until noon on weekends, Monday mornings will be hellish.
If possible, try to keep your wake-up time the same even on holidays, so that your body clock is less likely to be affected.
If you really want to sleep, it's ok to stick to your wake-up time and then go back to sleep (lol).
4. Keep the room dark at night
Melatonin is only produced in the dark.
The light from your smartphone is your biggest enemy!
If possible, try to dim the lights in your room and put your smartphone to sleep an hour before going to bed.
Indirect lighting or soft lighting like candles creates a nice atmosphere.
Conclusion: Your body clock is your daily ally
Your body clock can easily get sulky if you slack off a little, but if you give it proper support, it can be a surprising ally that can make you feel more energetic.
Rather than buying special supplements or a luxury mattress,
"Breakfast," "morning light," "fixed wake-up time," "darkness of the night"
Just by being aware of these four things, you will feel much better.
If you feel like you're not feeling well every day, you should definitely try this.
Tomorrow morning, start by opening the curtains and saying, "Good morning, sunshine!" ☀️
I hope your sleep will change little by little starting today.
