Modern lifestyle has made many changes in our living patterns, some good and some bad. The most unhealthy effect of living in modern society is the bad sleeping schedules that our bodies have to bear. Our bodies are accustomed to the 24-hour internal clock set in us for centuries. The visual cue of light, specifically, its brightness/type of light, amount of time exposed to light, and when exposed to light, helps “set your internal clock” during a 24-hour day. Light is distributed through your eyes and through your brain’s unique “control center.” However, there are other influencers of the inner clock of your body, including melatonin (a hormone released into your brain that plays a sleeping role), physical activity, and social activities. Your age will affect your sensitivity to the sleep-wake cycle as well. Circadian Misalignment sleep disorders refer to the different sleeping disorders that are caused when our sleep cycle is disrupted badly. 

We can just let dysfunctional behaviors such as sleeping for less than five hours, working late, surviving the night on coffee, sitting all day in front of glowing screens, and pulling all-nighters on Netflix ruin our sleeping schedule. Circadian misalignment happens when there is a mismatch between the time of our world and the internal time of our body, so we make ourselves remain awake while sleep is encouraged by our clocks or vice versa. Each of these issues is involved in circadian rhythm sleep disorders: 

• You have a hard time falling asleep.
• You fail to remain asleep and, during the sleep cycle, sometimes wake up many times.
• You wake up too early and you can’t sleep again.

There are many types of circadian sleep disorders that affect adults of all ages at some point in their life. Here are some of the scientists-backed strategies to help realign your sleeping schedule and help you overcome the circadian disorder.

• Getting sunlight in the day – Start your day with a morning walk, take a break at work and go outside to avoid fatigue. People who spend more time in the sunshine have earlier bedtimes and get more sleep, according to a global smartphone survey.
• Avoid all bright light at night  – Our internal clock boosts the hormone melatonin in the evening, which makes us feel drowsy. At night, bright light will postpone this rise in melatonin, keeping us awake.
• Say no to coffee at night – You don’t want caffeine at night as it alters our sleep, letting us stay awake all night.
• Keep a consistent sleeping schedule – It’s important to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. On Saturdays, no binge-sleeping. Sleeping in on weekends can lead to social jet lag, another example of circadian misalignment induced on weekdays versus weekends by dramatically diverging sleep patterns.

Sleep deprivation accumulates with persistent misalignment and may result in a shift work disorder or other chronic medical conditions.  It is important to maintain a proper sleep schedule, get at least 6-7 hours of sleep to survive in this crazy world. Proper sleep can keep your skin, body, and soul healthy.