The Secrets Of The Sleep Window

Getting Enough Shut-eye Has a Lot to Do With Our Biological Rhythms, and Those Who Understand and Follow Their Body Clock Will Not Only Enjoy Quality Sleep but Also Better Health. Professor Achim Kramer Explains Why

MORE ENERGY DURING THE DAY

“The time we wake up is one of the most underestimated causes of tiredness,” says Professor Achim Kramer. “Instead of concentrating on our problems of falling and staying asleep, we should be paying more attention to our biorhythms.”

But often, it’s not that simple to live by this rule, he says. “Our day is determined almost entirely by external factors that counteract our body’s internal clock.” School and work start times, for instance, dictate when we have to get up.

“From a biological perspective, that is much too early for most people,” he reveals. “The alarm goes off while they’re still in a deep sleep, because their body clock operates differently, and stipulates a different sleep window.”

The fact is, more and more people are missing their optimum windows for sleeping and waking, and end up lacking concentration and being unproductive during the day due to inadequate sleep. Experts call this phenomenon ‘social jetlag’.

LACK OF SLEEP IS STRESSFUL ON THE BODY

The greater the difference between what the body clock wants and what everyday life demands, the greater the effect of this so-called ‘social jetlag’. It’s similar to the feeling after a long-haul flight, except that permanent social jetlag leads to chronic lack of sleep. This in turn places our body under unhealthy, long-term stress. But how does this impact our health?

“People who permanently go against their natural sleeping and waking rhythms are more susceptible to organ diseases. Cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and depression are among the proven consequences of chronic lack of sleep.”