In this series One Week to Better Sleep, I’m going to share with you 7 ways in 7 days that you can improve your sleep.
This is Day 2: Is your body confused about when to sleep?
As mentioned in the first post about sleep drive, there are two biological processes that affect sleep. One, is your sleep drive and the other is your circadian rhythm, or body’s internal “clock.” Your internal body clock regulates what time you are awake/alert, what time you are sleepy, what times you are hungry, your core body temperature, as well as hormone production.
If you look at the above image, it shows how our body’s internal clock and our sleep drive coordinate to produce sleep and wakefulness. During the day, your body’s internal clock is giving signals to be awake.
There’s actually a dip in the afternoon, which accounts for that 3-4pm “sleepy” feeling. Totally normal. We’re all yawning at that time of day! But then it bumps back up and keeps us alert through the evening.
Side note: Understanding that this “afternoon circadian dip” is normal, is an important concept. Individuals with insomnia are often unknowingly constantly looking for signs of exhaustion and sleepiness. I slept so poorly last night that I just felt so exhausted like I couldn’t function in the afternoon. These thoughts only increase worry about not sleeping and the “need to get some sleep tonight” which increases the likelihood that there will be even more difficulty falling asleep. (We’ll delve more into how our emotions/thoughts inhibit sleep on day four and five).
So, although yes, the person who slept poorly last night may indeed be feeling fatigued, it’s also normal to feel fatigued at this time of the day because of the dip. Have you ever heard of the afternoon “siesta” (nap)? Yes, it happens during this dip, but please, don’t fall for the nap.
You may notice that the sleep drive builds throughout the day and is at its highest point right before the person falls asleep. The drive rapidly diminishes as the person sleeps. Even though their drive diminishes, it’s their biological clock that is pulling them through the night, signaling to the body that it is time to sleep. The timing of melatonin production is regulated by your body’s internal clock. If you’re constantly changing when you’re going to bed and when you’re waking up in the morning, you’re throwing your body for a loop.
Working Together
So, if sleep and your biological clock had a conversation throughout the day it would go something like this:
7am
Biological Clock: Sun is UP! The day is HERE! Let’s get ready to party! Woohoo we’re awake!
Sleep Drive: I got nothing left to give.I’m fresh out of the need for sleep. Gotta get up and find that drive!
Noon:
Biological Clock: I’m hungry! Lunch! Yeah! What else are we going to do today?
Sleep Drive: Dang, your stomach sure is full but I’m only half full. Keep on keep’n on!
3pm:
Biological Clock: *yawn* I could go for a little nap about now. How ya doing sleep drive?
Sleep Drive: Eh. Take it or leave it. I’ve got enough juice to nap if you want, but we could party some more. Lots of time left in the day.
Biological Clock: Cool cool, yeah *slaps face* I’m awake. It’s all good. Let’s go.
8pm:
Biological Clock: Hey sleep drive, how ya doing?
Sleep Drive: aw man I’m getting tired. Is this day over yet?
Biological Clock: No way. We’re staying alert!
Slee Drive: If you say so…
11pm:
Biological Clock: I can’t… stay…. Awake. Feel pressured…. to… sleep.
Sleep Drive: omgggggggggggggggahhh I can’t handle this anymore. So. Tired.
Biological Clock: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sleep Drive: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
As you can see, when these two processes are working well together, sleep occurs naturally each day. All is well!
Working out of Sync
Now here’s how the scenario might play out if these processes were out of whack:
7am:
Biological Clock: Omg. What time is it? I’m so confused. Am I supposed to get up now or are we still sleeping man?!
Sleep Drive: Errrr I don’t even know. Maybe we should just hang out here until we can figure it out. I’ve been empty for awhile now but I don’t know what else to do.
Biological Clock: Ok can someone please get us 3 shots of expresso in like an hour?
Noon:
Biological Clock: Ok, pretty sure we’re awake.
Sleep Drive: yeah man. I’m just getting started!
4pm:
Biological Clock: Do you feel tired? I feel like I need to close my eyes. zzzzzzzzz
Sleep Drive: That’s cool man. Whatever you feel like. Let’s doze. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Zzzzzz
10pm:
Biological Clock: Dude I can’t find the instructional manual. Am I supposed to start up the melatonin production or not? I’m freaking out here..
Sleep Drive: Beats me. I could keep going. I don’t really need to let out any air man, I’ve got room. I don’t feel tired.
Biological Clock: errrr… ok.
Midnight:
Biological Clock: Seriously. I want to go to sleep okay. I’m freaking tired.
Sleep Drive: ONE MORE HOUR. ONE MORE HOUR! WE CAN DO THIS!
Biological Clock: I hate you.
Anxiety: Hey guys! Did someone say there was a midnight party?! Cuz I can throw a party! *gets out glow sticks*
2am:
Biological Clock: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sleep drive: zzzzzzzzzzzz… pssst… hey biological clock, you awake?
Biological Clock: no. Stop it. Leave me alone.
Sleep drive: okay <twiddling thumbs> I’ll just lay here
Anxiety: Wassssuppppppp!!!!!!!!!!! I’m lonely. Can I invite some of my friends over?
Biological Clock: *face palm*
8am:
Biological Clock: Dude. The sun is up. I think this is when we wake up. Dude. Sleep Drive. HELLOOO?
Sleep drive: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz huh? No. 5 more minutes. Go away.
Biological clock: *eye roll*
Irritability & Depression: Hey, did someone message us to come hang out?
So as you can see, when the biological clock and the sleep drive are working together in sync, the body functions more effectively. When things get out of whack, the body struggles. When you’re not sleeping and you’re upset that you’re not sleeping, this leads to anxiety, frustration, irritability, and depression.
Consequently, your sleep drive may not match your biological clock. So, even though you are sleepy and tired from not getting enough sleep, your body is saying “hey! It’s time to be awake now!” and you have trouble sleeping. As an extreme example, consider people who have shift work and work in the night and sleep during the day. Although they’ve been awake all night and have a high sleep drive, when they attempt to go to bed at 9am, they may lie awake unable to fall asleep because their body’s alerting system is signaling for them to be awake.
Routine
The more into a routine and schedule that you can get, is where the magic happens for sleep. Having meals at set times, having a night time wind down routine that signals it’s time for sleep. Going to bed when you feel sleepy, and waking up each morning at the same time all support a healthy circadian rhythm. Exposure to light (daylight) helps support a 24 hour circadian rhythm.
When your internal clock and your sleep drive are in sync, your body wants to sleep at a consistent time, and wake at a consistent time each day. This brings us to tomorrow’s post, on keeping a set wake time.
I won’t be discussing circadian rhythm disorders here as its beyond the scope of these articles. Individuals with circadian rhythm disorders should be evaluated by a board certified sleep medicine physician.
So if you think your internal clock and your sleep drive are having some crazy conversations and working against each other right now, it may be time to reach out for some additional support. We’d love to help you at the Houston Center for Valued Living. We offer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia to support restoring healthy sleep habits.
Send us an e-mail at info@hcfvl.com or call us at 713.259.9049 for a free phone consultation. We work with individuals in the greater Houston area as well as residents in Texas through our telehealth video sessions, accessed from the comfort of your own home.
If you missed Day 1, Stop Sabotaging Your Sleep Drive, you can find it here.
Kathryn Tipton has passion for sleep and wants to help you return to sleeping through the night. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), a non-pharmacological treatment to help clients gain control over their insomnia and improve the quality of their sleep. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. Her private practice is located in central Houston, in the Montrose district. Additionally, she conducts sessions online/via phone with clients from the comfort of their own home or office.