How to Unlock Better Sleep Using Sunlight and Diet

Humans evolved with circadian rhythms that align wakefulness and eating with daylight and rest and sleep with darkness. Sleeping less than six hours or more than eight accelerates aging across organs. Too little sleep impairs immune function, increases obesity and joint inflammation, raises metabolic syndrome risk with insulin insensitivity, and is linked to diabetes, cancer, and cognitive impairments. Sleep quality declines from late teens onward, so many adults over 40 sleep poorly. Insomnia is common worldwide, driving a large market for sleep aids, though many are ineffective or lead to drug tolerance. Multiple biological clocks coordinate immune response, digestion and nutrient use, and nighttime sleep, requiring daily synchronization.

"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."

"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."

"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 immune system, the digestion and utilization of nutrients in the diet, and going to sleep at night. All of these clocks tick along to different rhythms that need to be synchronized every day w"

Read at Psychology Today