How to Fix Your Sleep Schedule

 

Do you get sleepy by mid-afternoon or find that you’re distracted too often? That’s normal. We all go through sleep disruptions at different times, thanks to travel, stress, or shift work. If you’re running on empty and know that your rest is suffering, consider working on your sleep schedule to reset your internal clock.

To understand how your sleep clock works, we need to look at circadian rhythm, which normally causes you to be tired in the evening and wake up around the same time each morning.  Some people naturally wake up earlier and others have a later automatic time to rise.  This is controlled by your environment, genetics and behavior.  That’s why factors like genes, hormones, sunrise, temperature, neurotransmitters and your work schedule combine together to influence how well, or poorly, you sleep.

How can you change your sleep clock?  Here are some tips to reclaim your sleep:

*Naps Are Not Always The Best Solution:  Naps may feel like they’re helpful and here and there, grabbing a nap can be refreshing.  But avoid naps any longer than 30 minutes or it may throw off your sleep schedule.

*Know How Many Hours of Sleep You Really Need:  The Centers for Disease Control recommends adults get 7-9 hours of sleep a night.  Even if you could function on four hours of sleep a night in college, things change. 

*Make Lighting Work for You:  By manipulating light exposure, you may be able to push the reset on your body clock.  By following the cues of nature, you’ll mimic what is happening to guide your body into a pattern that invites sleep. During the day, cells in your eyes detect light cycles and send this info to your suprachiasmatic nucleus or SCN, a region of the brain in the hypothalamus, above the optic chiasm.  The SCN alerts the pineal gland to step up and produce melatonin, the sleep hormone.  Melatonin levels hit a peak when things turn dark and you’ll get sleepy.  Light triggers your body to cease melatonin production and you wake up.  So by using lights in your home to follow the cycle of nature, exposing yourself to natural sunlight and bright lights starting in the morning and dimming lights in the evening as the sun goes down, you’ll help your circadian rhythm revert back to normal.  Strip your bedroom down to darkness and don’t use any screens in there for a few nights, to ensure that blue light from your devices and television doesn’t trick your body into perceiving that it is daytime. 

Another help to regain solid sleep is CBD.  Commonly known as cannabinoid, CBD is extracted from hemp.  The best CBD oil for anxiety, sleep and pain can help with a number of sleep disorders including insomnia, REM sleep behavior disorder and excessive daytime sleepiness disorder.  Premium CBD products have been linked to people trying to improve sleep and reduce anxiety. 

Citizens Hemp Premium CBD Tincture Broad Spectrum is the best CBD oil for anxiety, sleep and pain.  Our pure, organically and locally sourced CBD tinctures contain no THC.  Our premium CBD products are packed with beneficial cannabinoids and tasty terpenes, making them your ideal solution for helping with anxiety, stress, insomnia and other sleep issues.