In her quest to better understand how factors like when we eat and the amount of sunlight we receive affect our ability to feel comfortable, happy, and balanced, Lynn Peebles went 50 feet underground for 10 days.
Peebles, science journalist and author of “Internal clock: living in sync with our circadian rhythms“, I found Airbnb in Arkansas This was once a refuge during the Cold War.
She said in one episode of the program, “This man bought an old nuclear missile silo from the government and improved it.”Every day is better with Leah Smart“Podcast.
“In the bunker, there was no daylight,” she said. Peebles also got permission from the Airbnb host to cover all the clocks on the digital devices with black tape so she had no idea what time it was there.
The lights in the bunker were dim and red. “We know that red is the wavelength of light The least impact on our circadian rhythms“, she said.
For her book, Peebles wanted to explore what would happen to her internal clocks “if I isolated myself from those signals that she needs to tell time.”
During her stay, Peebles documented her experience via audio recordings with a plan to use timestamps to see how it fit with her regular schedule — like when she had breakfast or when she went to bed.
“For the first two days, it was a miracle because I was later able to look at the timestamps from the audio recordings I had made, and I was very accurate at living 24 hours a day,” she said. “Our clocks inside us keep good time.”
But about halfway through the experience, Peebles started feeling “really bad,” which she likened to jet lag.
“At worst, I was completely flipped out. I was living my day when everyone above ground was asleep. So, I was about to take 12 hours off,” she said. “I felt the effects of it.”
Peebles began experiencing mood swings, “feeling hot and cold,” and hunger once her internal clock didn't sync well with her regular schedule. She also noticed that her thinking had become more fuzzy, and that she was clumsy than usual.
“Not that it wasn't expected, but it was really felt very deeply.”
“Getting enough bright light” is essential for your circadian rhythm
When your circadian rhythm is out of sync, you can feel tired, insomnia, have headaches or even depression, according to Cleveland Clinic. The results of the Peebles trial also prove what research has shown about how certain factors like sun exposure affect your circadian rhythm.
“To maintain that calibration, it's about Get enough bright light, especially in the morningsaid Peebles.
“Within the first hour or two of waking up, if you can expose your eyes to bright daylight, you're in good shape.
She suggested going for a 15-minute walk in the morning, and “stay as close to a window as possible throughout the day.” at night, Turn off the lights in your home when it is close to bedtime To prepare your body for sleep.
Aligning your lifestyle with the 24-hour cycle is vital for body functions including processing foods properly and “priming our immune system” to fight certain pathogens. It's the best way to “keep all your body's systems doing their best job of doing the right things at the right times.” she He said.
Peebles also provided a list of things that can disrupt your circadian rhythm, affecting more than just the quality and quantity of your sleep:
- Darkness during the day
- Lots of light at night
- Eating at the wrong times of the day (snacking at any time)
- The time on our clocks changes twice a year, when we “fall back” and “Spring forward“
- Travel across time zones
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