Every person is a world and this also affects how we sleep. There are those who sleep more and those who sleep less, as well as those who get up early and those whose sheets are sticky. The latter are often the ones who suffer the most when trying to adapt to traditional schedules. Maybe it’s a lost battle, a defeat written in our own genes.

Chronotypes.
The circadian rhythm, the “internal clock” that determines our sleep and wake cycles, causes them to go to bed early and get up early, while others have people with a later schedule. These typologies and those in between are called chronotypes. Chronotypes are not related to the number of hours we sleep, but only to the hours of the day’s phases occur.

While there is a spectrum, according to the International Melatonin Institute (IiMEL), people can be divided into three groups: morning chronotype (earliest risers), evening chronotypes (who make the most of the last hours of the day), and those in between. There are extreme cases that cause problems for those with chronotypes that are too out of phase with the usual ones.

Our circadian rhythms can depend on a number of factors. Age is one of the most important as we don’t need the same level of sleep as we are children, adults or as we age. Light also affects our sleep more deeply than we think. Genetics is perhaps one of the most important factors determining our sleep patterns.

From DNA to melatonin.
The variation in chronotypes has a biological explanation. We’ve known for decades that genetics influence our circadian rhythm. gene was called period (or PER) the gene responsible for regulating the PER protein in our cells. This protein accumulates at night and disappears during the day. The discovery of the genetics of circadian rhythms earned the three researchers who pioneered this discovery the 2017 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

At the brain level, melatonin is the hormone responsible for transmitting the feeling of sleep to our brain. Shortly before we fall asleep, our body releases melatonin. It does this through the pineal gland inside our brain, and our body is largely guided by the light it captures to know when it’s time to release this molecule.

extreme situations.
This hormone has gained great notoriety because of the number of supplements that use it to help regulate sleep, as some (but not all) sleep disorders are caused by a deficiency of this hormone.

This can occur in blind people and people with late-phase sleep-wake cycle disorder, i.e. people who fall asleep too late and therefore have more difficulty waking up in the morning.

Since melatonin is not a sleeping pill, it is not used in all cases of insomnia, but only in those most closely related to circadian rhythms.

What about candy?
It has also been observed that there are different types of people depending on our need for naps throughout the day. A new study published in the journal Nature Communication linked 123 regions of our genome to this need.

In contrast, the analysis identified three types of people who need a nap or some form of daytime sleep: those who are prone to sleep (who need more time to rest), light sleepers (who don’t get enough rest during their night’s sleep), and those who wake up early (who wake up early but have a part of their sleep later). The people who need to catch the part.

Night night.
Sleeping well is important, but sometimes it’s complicated. Especially in summer, the heat can make our job very difficult. Cooling our homes with electronics to cool our rooms can be expensive and may bother us a bit when we wake up, but there are plenty of resources available to improve our sleep prospects on summer nights.

In addition to seasonal tips, there are several resources that can help us rest better at night. Avoiding light while lying down (mobile, PC…) is common advice and as we see, light is one of the determining factors for our body to know when to sleep.

Another tip is to maintain the habit of going to bed before or after bedtime, doing this at regular times can help. Finally, maintaining healthy habits, exercising (not just before going to sleep), and abstaining from alcohol and tobacco should also help us improve our sleep hygiene so we sleep better and rest better.

Image | pixabay