Living Well: Getting a good night's sleep can mean waking early
Like many of us, Martha Lentz looks forward to weekends, especially the three-day variety. She gets a chance to sleep in.
"I know better," says Lentz, laughing. "But I do it anyway. I enjoy it."
What Lentz knows better is how to get a good night's sleep. She is a research associate professor at the University of Washington's School of Nursing who has specialized in sleep patterns and circadian rhythms since the early 1980s.
A consistent wakeup time tops the Get More and Better Sleep list. Even if it means actually getting less sleep on a weekend, when everyone with a sociable bone in their bodies stays up later than normal.
"The research is clear that waking up at the same time exposes your body to similar amounts of light each day, which in turn synchronizes your circadian rhythms," said Lentz, a Ph.D. who has performed sleep and aging studies as part of UW's Center for Women's Health Research.
Lentz said properly tuned circadian rhythms in your body leads to feeling more refreshed and alert during the day and, appropriately, more drowsy at bedtime. Getting enough light earlier in the day is what makes the difference. It's not the simple act of waking up at the same time forcing you to get to bed earlier, though a regular bedtime only improves your circadian cycle.
"People ask me all the time about what's the best thing to do for better sleep," said James M. Krueger, professor of neurobiology at Washington State University and a noted sleep researcher who is pioneering new studies on whether regions of the brain are 'asleep' while a person is awake. "I tell them be as regular as you can about both getting to sleep and waking up."
Like many of us, Martha Lentz looks forward to weekends, especially the three-day variety. She gets a chance to sleep in.
"I know better," says Lentz, laughing. "But I do it anyway. I enjoy it."
What Lentz knows better is how to get a good night's sleep. She is a research associate professor at the University of Washington's School of Nursing who has specialized in sleep patterns and circadian rhythms since the early 1980s.
A consistent wakeup time tops the Get More and Better Sleep list. Even if it means actually getting less sleep on a weekend, when everyone with a sociable bone in their bodies stays up later than normal.
"The research is clear that waking up at the same time exposes your body to similar amounts of light each day, which in turn synchronizes your circadian rhythms," said Lentz, a Ph.D. who has performed sleep and aging studies as part of UW's Center for Women's Health Research.
Lentz said properly tuned circadian rhythms in your body leads to feeling more refreshed and alert during the day and, appropriately, more drowsy at bedtime. Getting enough light earlier in the day is what makes the difference. It's not the simple act of waking up at the same time forcing you to get to bed earlier, though a regular bedtime only improves your circadian cycle.
"People ask me all the time about what's the best thing to do for better sleep," said James M. Krueger, professor of neurobiology at Washington State University and a noted sleep researcher who is pioneering new studies on whether regions of the brain are 'asleep' while a person is awake. "I tell them be as regular as you can about both getting to sleep and waking up."
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