Consistent wake-up time, regular meals can help fight fatigue
When to wake up
Instead of: Sleeping in
Try: Getting up at the same time and bathing yourself in light
This enables your circadian rhythms, which are governed by your body's "master clock" in the hypothalamus gland, to stay in synch with the 24-hour day. In the absence of light, your body's sleep-wake cycle wants to delay by an average of 12 minutes every day and work on a 24.2-hour rhythm. (Scientists don't understand why but think it may relate to the sun's seasonal shifts.) "That means your body wants to keep pushing your bedtime to later," says Mariana Figueiro, PhD, program director of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center. "But if you let that happen and still have to get up at the same time every day, you're going to be tired."
To keep your circadian rhythms in time with the 24-hour day (when they get out of whack, you feel like you're jet-lagged), aim for 30 minutes of light first thing, even on a Saturday when you've decided to sleep in. An easy way to get it is to go for a half-hour stroll outdoors or have your breakfast by a sunny window. If your schedule requires you to rise when it's dark outside, crank up the lights indoors — every little bit may help.
Instead of: Sleeping in
Try: Getting up at the same time and bathing yourself in light
This enables your circadian rhythms, which are governed by your body's "master clock" in the hypothalamus gland, to stay in synch with the 24-hour day. In the absence of light, your body's sleep-wake cycle wants to delay by an average of 12 minutes every day and work on a 24.2-hour rhythm. (Scientists don't understand why but think it may relate to the sun's seasonal shifts.) "That means your body wants to keep pushing your bedtime to later," says Mariana Figueiro, PhD, program director of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center. "But if you let that happen and still have to get up at the same time every day, you're going to be tired."
To keep your circadian rhythms in time with the 24-hour day (when they get out of whack, you feel like you're jet-lagged), aim for 30 minutes of light first thing, even on a Saturday when you've decided to sleep in. An easy way to get it is to go for a half-hour stroll outdoors or have your breakfast by a sunny window. If your schedule requires you to rise when it's dark outside, crank up the lights indoors — every little bit may help.
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