Get Your Groove Back From Longer Days, Shorter Nights

Summer is the time when it seems like we can do it all—so why is it that we’re dragging instead of skipping through the longer days?

It could be that we’re off our circadian rhythm, so everything feels more difficult. Our circadian rhythm impacts sleep, metabolism, hormone levels, appetite and so much more: It’s a biological and highly individual pattern for waking and sleeping, and related activities.

Whether you live in Pacific Daylight Time or Eastern Daylight Time, your body’s systems respond to a 24-hour period, driven by a master clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus of the brain. That master clock determines the “usual” times you wake up, those times in the day when you find you get your best workouts, or the usual times you get hungry. And the rest of your organs—heart, brain, muscles and stomach—work with the timing of the SCN.

It’s no wonder you feel like you can’t get your “groove” in your day. But here are some ways to get control of the situation.

Lighting

When light enters your eyes, it signals the SCN it’s time to wake up. Cortisol, a hormone that is high during the day, is especially high when you wake up—and light in your eyes triggers the SCN to keep cortisol levels elevated.

Ever feel “wired” after working on your laptop late at night or after watching a movie?  That’s because the light from the computer or television screen is telling your body to stay awake.

Tip: Sleep is your natural “reset button” for your SCN. Dimming your lights at night as the sun goes down and not using your laptop or smartphone an hour before going to bed will sync your body’s natural clock again.

Longer summer days

We lose that extra hour of sleep in the spring in order to get those longer days. It may seem like an advantage for those who want to get a lot accomplished. In reality, daylight saving time can wreak havoc to your “groove” if you don’t allow your body to properly adjust.

A study at the University of Helsinki showed that it takes approximately five days to adjust your body to losing that extra hour of sleep. Losing that extra hour of sleep has been associated with increases in heart attacks, traffic accidents and work-related accidents. If you’re forgetful, feeling extra tired or dozing off, your body is signaling a “reset” is crucial.

Tip: Allow your body to fully adjust to the time change by getting enough sleep. Avoid intense workouts for that week after the time change, when injury rates are higher.

Late-night eating

Summer schedules are busy, and exercise is important for overall health, so fitness needs to fit into what works with your schedule. But consider your body’s clock, too.

Your heart rate and blood pressure are naturally higher during the day and lower at night when you sleep. The natural drop in your heart rate and blood pressure at night indicate a healthy heart. Allowing your body to relax at night with a lower heart rate and blood pressure lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Have you ever worked out intensely close to bedtime and found it tough to settle into sleep? That’s because working out intensely late at night wakes up the mini-clock in your heart and muscles. At the same time, your nighttime workout might not feel like it’s your best, and that’s because there is less cortisol running through your body to wake up your muscles. (During the day, cortisol is high and helping your heart pump and deliver oxygen to your muscles.)

Tip: Use the morning or daytime for vigorous exercise: high-intensity interval training, intense cardio, heavy strength training. Use the late evening to do lower-intensity exercise such as easy walking, mobility, stretching or swimming.

Burning the midnight oil

Are you a night owl? Let’s face it, some of us have to work a graveyard shift to pay the bills. Business work responsibilities require travel. Sometimes meeting deadlines cause us to work late at night. If you’re a nurse, doctor, postal worker, flight attendant, executive or student, this might be the case. Then there are times you want to cut loose and stay out with friends late at night or binge on Netflix episodes.

When you stay up late at night, all the mini-clocks in your body are out of sync with your SCN. Artificial lights are telling your body to stay awake. Your heart and muscles are active when they should be resting. You’re eating meals when your stomach should be resting and digesting.

This is where your health may be at risk of a creeping pattern of weight gain—and increased risk of high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. In fact, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found most obesity rates increase with night-shift work.

Tip: When you know you’ll have to stay up, try to get rest in advance—for example, before your business trip. Stay hydrated, limit alcohol consumption and watch caffeine intake. And if you’re in a different time zone, try to stay on that new schedule instead of staying up extra late or getting up extra early.

Sync your circadian rhythm

If you feel fatigued, sleepy or can’t sleep or if you’re having digestive issues, feel irritable or foggy, you might need a “reset.” Follow Mother Nature’s cues along with your body’s cues and sync to your circadian rhythm—then watch your performance flow.

Hero video: uzhursky, Shutterstock; photo: Andrew Tanglao, Unsplash
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