Sunrise Alarm Clocks to Maintain a Healthy Sleep Pattern.

It is recommended that adults have between seven and nine hours of sleep a night for physical and mental health. The best way to achieve this is to have a regular and healthy sleep routine. Unfortunately, many factors can throw these routines out of whack in our hectic lives. You may bounce back and forth between too much and too little sleep and struggle to get back into a healthy sleep pattern and maintain your Circadian Rhythm. rnWhat is a Circadian Rhythm?rnThe circadian rhythm is one of the main drivers of your sleep routine. It is the body's internal 24hr clock cycle and helps manage sleep and wakefulness. This is closely aligned with day and night.rnLike most animals, humans have evolved to sleep overnight when it's darkest. Light has a waking effect on the body and brain. rnLight suppresses melatonin and activates the circadian alerting signal. This external environmental prompt or zeitgeber helps maintain this rhythm. There are other zeitgebers such as:-rnWhen and what we eatrnWhen we exercisernIf we get too much screen timernMedicationrnAll of which can play a part. How Does a Sleep Routing Get Off Whack?rnThere are many ways sleep routines can get thrown off course. Jet Lag, working shifts, artificial light exposure, diet, stress, and illness are just a few. How to Adjust Your Sleep Routine?rnThere are multiple elements to reset your sleep pattern, such as:rnReducing artificial light.rnAvoid caffeinated and alcoholic beverages.rnDoing regular exercise.rnNot napping during the day. Perhaps the most important is to set a regular bedtime and wake-up time. But it may be hard to adjust to this if your sleep pattern is off-kilter. rnSo try moving your sleep schedule slowly to get back to a set routine. rnYou can make adjustments in 20 or 30-minute increments over serval days to get into a new routine. Using a Sunrise Alarm Clock rnIt's common to use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning and keep on schedule. But the sudden blaring noise of an alarm clock can be a jolt to the system. This abrupt change from sleep to wakefulness can be disorienting; often, the snooze button is an all to tempting rest bite, allowing sleep to resume quickly. These short wakenings will disrupt sleep patterns and can go unremembered. They can also leave you feeling groggy later in the day. Sunrise alarm clocks use light to mimic a sunrise and wake you gradually by increasing the brightness. These dawn simulation alarm clocks gradually wake you up at a selected time. This is done by mimicking the steadily increasing light of sunrise, often over 30 to 60 minutes.rnBeyond encouraging a gradual awakening, some can dim light gradually (a so-called sunset feature), making it feel more natural to fall asleep.rnSome of these alarm clocks can play white noise or natural sounds like the twittering of birds or the lapping of waves to stimulate wakefulness or sleepiness. Who Is It ForrnSome groups will benefit more than others, but scientific research suggests most of us could yield positive health impacts from using a sunrise alarm clock. BenefitsrnImprove cardiac function and reduce the risk of heart attacksrnProvide a boost to the brain's function (in select cognitive domains) and enhance performance immediately after waking Certain groups of people would likely enjoy the effects of a sunrise alarm even more. rnNight OwlsrnSome people suffer from Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. This circadian disorder is characterized by difficulty initiating sleep (insomnia) and profound sleepiness in the mornings. It is most prevalent in the teenage years. rnNight owls feel naturally sleepy around 2 a.m. and may struggle to wake up before 10 a.m. Using a dawn simulation light can help waking up in the mornings and reinforce an earlier circadian phase.rnWinter DepressionrnWinter depression is also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is prevalent among people living in northern latitudes during the winter months when the days are short and the nights are long.rnThis means that regular wake-up times in the morning are accompanied by complete darkness making it hard to awaken. This can lead to depression, lethargy, prolonged sleep, weight gain, and other symptoms. Using artificial light can help wake them up in the morning and make starting the day easier. rnTeenagersrnAs already noted, teenagers are most susceptible to delayed sleep phase syndrome. rnThis can make it hard for some adolescents to fall asleep at a desirable time. It can also make it very difficult for them to wake up in the morning. rnSomething many parents can attest to. This can lead to conflict with parents, tardiness, absenteeism, and negatively impact their ability to be alert and pay attention leading to academic failure. rnNow consider how desirable it may be to use a gentle light to naturally wake them in the morning, removing all that drama, confrontation, and stress.rnShift WorkersrnPeople who work late shifts, night shifts, or on-call can be subject o many sleep problems. rnWhen the need for sleep and being awake are misaligned with the pattern of the sun, it can be difficult to function optimally.rnThis can lead to irritability, health problems, and even accidents. Using artificial light to help alleviate some of this misalignment can be a beneficial way to maintain a sleep pattern, even if that's out of odds with the natural sunlight. rnJet lagrnTraveling across a continent or ocean can lead to significant disruption of the circadian rhythm. For frequent travelers, using a sunrise alarm clock can make the transition from jet lag easier. The optimal timing of this light exposure will depend on the distance traveled and whether preparation was made before departing on the trip.rnHearing ImpairedrnPeople with hearing impairment may benefit from using light to wake them rather than an audible alarm. This can provide a new degree of independence for those who may otherwise have to rely on someone else to wake them.