How to Unlock Better Sleep Using Sunlight and Diet |
Why Is Sleep Important?
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Disregarding the body's natural need for sleep and nourishment carries a steep price.
For better sleep, it's important to maximize daytime sunlight and minimize nighttime light exposure.
Eating late disrupts internal clocks; focusing calories earlier in the day improves sleep health.
We evolved on a planet that spins in front of a fairly bright star. Consequently, we humans, as well as all other organisms, developed a circadian rhythm in our physiology and behaviors with the following rules: Wake up when the sun shines and eat, and when it gets dark, rest your brain and body and sleep for about seven hours.
If you decide not to follow this rule, there are dire consequences. A recent study demonstrated that sleeping for less than six hours—or more than eight—significantly accelerates the aging process of every organ in your body. Getting too little sleep leads to impaired immune function, obesity, increased joint inflammation, a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome with insulin insensitivity, diabetes, cancer, and cognitive impairments.
Unfortunately, getting a good night’s sleep is a challenge for most adults. Studies indicate that our sleep is best during puberty; our sleep quality begins to decrease in our late teens and continues to worsen slowly. Consequently, if you are over 40, you probably do not sleep well.
People from every culture around the world complain of insomnia. This explains why the market for sleep aids is worth more than $100 billion annually. Unfortunately, most of the sleep aids are either not effective or, with regard to drugs, develop tolerance with continued use.
Our bodies contain different biological clocks that ensure that physiological systems are primed to do the right things at the right times, such as the response of our........