“There is no magic hour”: somnologist debunks myths about childhood sleep

Why is it so difficult to tear your head off the pillow in the morning, where autumn insomnia comes from, how to help a child enter the learning rhythm and whether to lay it strictly at nine in the evening – these and other questions were answered by a somnologist Olga Vlasova.

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“Bear” mode: how the reduction of daylight affects sleep

Many are convinced that with the onset of cold weather in the body there is a large-scale hormonal restructuring. However, the specialist hastens to reassure: our endocrine background remains stable, and the main cause of autumn hibernation lies in the biological clock.

- Our circadian system uses external light as a kind of adjustment of its function, explains O. Vlasova. Daylight suppresses the production of melatonin – the “sleep hormone”, and darkness, on the contrary, stimulates it. In autumn, the morning light becomes much less, so the body does not receive a signal in time that the day has come. As a result of a decrease in the level of melatonin does not occur, and the process of its natural elimination is shifted to a later time (the difference can reach an hour and a half). That’s why in the usual hour of lifting, the level of the sleep hormone in the blood is still high, and we feel completely overwhelmed.

To support the body in the cold season, the expert advises as much as possible to be in the daylight: more often sit at the window and go for walks even in cloudy weather. It is important to distinguish regular seasonal fatigue from severe disruptions. If a person cannot sleep normally for weeks, experiences problems with mood and loss of strength, it may not be in autumn, but in anemia, thyroid diseases, depression or seasonal affective disorder. In such cases, you need to consult a doctor.

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The Biggest Mistake in Regime Change

Reorganize the mode taking into account the short daylight is not an easy task.

- The biggest mistake is trying to rebuild in one day, warns O. Vlasova. If a person always went to bed at two in the morning and decided to go to bed at ten tonight, it wouldn’t work. He will just needlessly lie in bed, suffer from experiences and eventually earn insomnia.

The somnologist advises to move the regime gradually - for 30-60 minutes a day. The main secret: you need to start not with stacking, but with lifting.

- If you get up at 11:00, move the ascent to 10:30, the expert recommends. - The shutdown will be automatically due to accumulated fatigue. If the shift is needed for 2-3 hours, it will take about 5-7 days to fully adapt.

When changing the mode in the evening, half an hour before the expected setback, you need to dim the lights, and in the morning, immediately give your eyes bright lighting. Also, under the new schedule, it is necessary to adjust the time of meals and physical exertion.

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Magic “21:00” and teenagers “owls”: deal with children’s sleep

The process of adaptation of children to the school regime deserves special attention. During the holidays, students have time to completely break out of the usual schedule, and morning rises turn into real stress. At the same time, O. Vlasova draws attention to the fact that it is not necessary to lay the child strictly at 21:00.

- There is no magic hour when the body begins to synthesize melatonin, these are Internet myths. Children 6-12 years old need to sleep from 9 to 12 hours: one is enough nine, the other – all twelve. Cut-off time is determined based on what time the child needs to get up in the morning and his individual need for sleep.

Don’t blame a teenager for being stubborn if he falls asleep late. At the age of 13-18, midnight gatherings are explained by physiology, not rebellious character. The normal sleep for adolescents is 8-10 hours, but during this period their internal biological clock shifts to a later time.

“Melatonin suppresses the activity of the gonads, so to start the processes of puberty, its level naturally decreases,” the doctor explains. This makes it harder for teenagers to fall asleep early. Plus added psychological factor: the desire to separate from parents and to win back personal time, even at night.

It is necessary to prepare a child for the school year for 7-10 days, gradually shifting the time of morning awakening. If the child by nature is an “owl” and does not want to sleep, it is useless to force him to lay. It is better to gradually transfer it from active games to quiet activities, for example, offer to read a book or take a warm bath. And the expert advises parents of teenagers to be patient: there is no ideal way to wake up a sleepless teenager without whims.

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Fatigue is not the same as sleep: why the evening brings unexpected cheerfulness

It happens like this: you fall off your feet all day, and at 23:00 sleep like a hand takes off. Vlasova explains that subjective fatigue and physiological readiness to sleep are fundamentally different things. Sleep is regulated by two systems: circadian rhythms (melatonin fluctuations) and “sleep pressure” (the accumulation of special signaling molecules in the brain during wakefulness).

- If during the day a person feels lethargy, he begins to lead a gentle lifestyle: skips training, postpones business, naps after work and leans on coffee, the somnologist analyzes the situation. As a result, sleep pressure molecules are poorly produced. By evening, a person feels overwhelmed, but real physical fatigue is not enough to fall asleep.

To this is added anxiety: "Tomorrow early to get up, and I'm still awake!" Only six hours left! Trying to control falling asleep by force gives the opposite effect and only prevents you from falling asleep.

- The solution may seem paradoxical: you just need to stop forcing yourself to sleep by force. Keep the usual daytime activity, get up strictly at the same time and lie down only when real drowsiness appears. Drawn to sleep at 22:00 - go to bed, even if you are unusual to fall asleep so early. If there is no sleep in either eye at 23:00, get up and read a book.

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Coffee Circle and the Three Iron Rules of Sleep

Trying to cheer up, many fall into a natural trap. Coffee, drunk during the day, can worsen night sleep, and morning lack of sleep makes you again reach for a cup of caffeine. This creates a vicious cycle that can last for months.

- The rate of decaffeination is different for everyone, but on average, a standard cup of espresso or Americano should be drunk at least 6 hours before bedtime, explains O. Vlasova. If you drink several cups, this interval should be already 8 hours. For severe problems with falling asleep, the last caffeine (including tea and energy) should be drunk before 12:00 pm.

Even if coffee doesn’t stop you from falling asleep, it shortens sleep duration by about 30 minutes and shortens deep sleep, reducing its restorative value.

In conclusion, the somnologist formulated three simple, but effective rules that will help to restore healthy sleep:

1. 1.Get up at the same time every day. On weekends, it is permissible to sleep longer for a maximum of 1-2 hours. The habit of sleeping off on weekends destroys the circadian system and provokes social jet lag. Let's explain this term - a state when you live not according to your biological clock, but according to a schedule imposed on you by society and work. And it makes you feel like after a flight, even though you didn't fly anywhere.

1. 1.For 1.5-2 hours before the break, go into calm mode: ventilate the bedroom, dim the upper lights, do not solve work tasks, do not find out the relationship and refuse endless scrolling of the tape.

1. 1.Immediately after waking up, open the curtains, turn on bright lights, do exercises or go outside for 20-30 minutes to give the brain a clear signal: it’s day!