The correct daily routine. Why you need to go to bed before 22 and get up before 6-00. Melatonin and its role in managing human biological rhythms

Content:

• Age-related sleep norms and the consequences of not meeting them;
• Why a person needs melatonin;
• When and how melatonin is secreted;
• Signs of melatonin deficiency.

Scientists believe that all living beings (and humans are no exception) adjust their sleeping and waking patterns according to circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are regulated by the endocrine system and hormones. At different times of the day it is possible to observe the predominance of the level of some hormones over others, it is on the hormonal background depends on the well-being, mood and general condition. If a person neglects his biological clock and ignores circadian rhythms, it inevitably leads to poor health, the development of chronic fatigue, reduced efficiency and the appearance of other unpleasant symptoms.

Modern scientists are increasingly saying that our ancestors did not get up at sunrise and went to bed after sunset for nothing. This regime helped them to be healthier and feel better, a person of the 21st century would do well to take an example from them.

Age-specific sleep norms and the consequences of non-compliance

It is advisable for people of different ages to follow their sleep norms.

• Newborns should sleep 11 to 18 hours a night.
• For children under one year of age, the sleep duration is 10-14 hours.
• After a year, a child needs to sleep 12-14 hours, and after 5 years – 10-11 hours.
• The adolescent norm of sleep is 8.5-9.5 hours.
• For adults, it is ideal to sleep 7.5-8.5 hours a day.

It is harmful for adults to both under-sleep and over-sleep. It has been proven that chronic sleep deprivation (sleeping less than 7.5 hours a day) leads to deterioration of immunity, overweight and even the development of type 2 diabetes. The emotional background of a person also suffers: people who are sleep deprived are more likely to experience depression, neuroses and irritability. It would seem that a long sleep should solve the problem, but it is not so. Over-sleeping is just as harmful as under-sleeping. It leads to heart disease, chronic migraines, back pain, etc. Doctors do not recommend a long sleep on weekends. It is advisable, even if it is possible to sleep longer, to try to maintain the right optimal regime.

That is why the ideal daily routine is to go to bed no later than 11 pm and rise no later than 7 am. Observance of such a routine allows you to stay healthy and efficient for many years. Today, it is customary to divide people into “larks” and “owls”. As a rule, larks who go to bed early and get up early are closer to their natural circadian rhythms than owls who stay up at night.

Why do humans need melatonin

Why does the human biological clock function in this way and not in another way? The fact is that there is a special gland in the human brain – the epiphysis, also called the pineal body. The epiphysis produces an important hormone, melatonin, which is responsible for many processes in the body. Melatonin is involved in various processes in the body:

• it regulates sleep and alertness;
• affects the reproductive system;
• inhibits the aging process;
• has unique anti-tumour properties;
• it can boost immunity;
• reduces body fat.

 When and how melatonin is secreted

Melatonin is secreted almost exclusively at night; during daytime hours, the body produces only 30% of this essential hormone. The most intensive production of melatonin occurs between 23:00 and 3:00. The epiphysis is especially active in the phase of deep sleep. For the epiphysis to work properly, complete darkness is necessary: even a weak light bulb or a luminous clock face significantly reduces the amount of melatonin produced. In order for the pineal body to start producing melatonin, the retina must stop receiving light. Therefore, for normal production of the hormone, it is advisable to unplug all appliances and put away your mobile phone. In the bedroom, it is preferable to hang thick curtains and use an eye patch.

After melatonin enters the bloodstream, the body’s sleep processes are activated. At this point, the pituitary gland begins to produce endorphins and ekephalins. These hormones relax the muscles, calm and make the process of falling asleep pleasant. Gradually, the concentration of melatonin in the blood decreases, after 3:00 a.m. it almost ceases to be produced. It is replaced by cortisol – a hormone produced by the adrenal glands and responsible, among other things, for waking up. Around 7:00 the amount of cortisol in the blood reaches a maximum. If at this point a person is not awake, cortisol will exceed the critical point and provoke stress and irritability. When circadian rhythms are disturbed, melatonin and cortisol become imbalanced, with inevitable consequences.

Signs of melatonin deficiency

The fact that the body does not produce enough melanin can be recognised by indirect signs. For example, if there is a lack of this hormone, a person can

• feeling wrecked during the day;
• fall asleep after eating or watching TV;
• need at least a short nap during the day.

The lack of melatonin is evidenced by very fast falling asleep at night, if a person goes to sleep faster than 5 minutes, then, most likely, there is not enough melatonin in the body. Man, despite all the technical achievements and progress, is still a biological being. That means he lives and functions according to the laws of nature. Today, few people try to follow their natural clock. Experts say that the average adult sleeps 6-7 hours a day, which is a sign of chronic sleep deprivation.

Perhaps this is one of the indirect reasons for the sharp increase in the number of serious diseases. Returning to natural rhythms, in particular, going to bed no later than 23:00 in the evening and rising no later than 7:00 in the morning can help to significantly improve your well-being and solve some health problems.