At Airbumb, transformed into a Cold War-era bunker, located 50 feet below the ground in Arkansas, journalist Lynn Peoples conducted experiments to better understand the interior clock. She was always struggling with sleep. Growing up in Seattle, the long, dark winters contributed to the effects of seasonal affective disorder (or sad). From an early age, she says she understands that circadian rhythms, a measure of time that drives everything from sleep-wake cycles to appetite, are generally confused.
For ten days she drove herself out of all the signals her body uses to pass the time. She was stealing light from both the sun and electricity, the clock, most screens and others. (Peeples had it Some Light: She sets all the LED lights on Airbnb to dim red lights, which does not affect circadian rhythms. ) She tracked temperature, glucose levels, sleep, heart rate and tied her to a device she was trying to live. Usually as much as possible. To spend the time, she juggled, played harmonica and read on her Kindle. She documented her experiences on a typewriter.
Along the way, her internal clock was completely inverted. Her stomach was “distant and gross,” her breasts were heavy, and she had the general weak and damp feeling. Unknown to her, she was awake when everyone on the ground was asleep. Later, while collaborating with scientists through biometric data, she discovers that the rhythms have fallen out of sync with each other. “I could feel that,” Peoples says. “I was feeling all the symptoms of sleepiness throughout the day, it's hot and cold at times, a bit of depression. I don't think clearly. My gut was a disaster. They were all the same It happened at some point.”
Peeples talks about her book experience Inner clock: Living in sync with our circadian rhythmshe delves into the science of circadian rhythms and explains how understanding the decline and flow of our bodies can help us feel better when we wake up and sleep. I will. Here, Peeples shares what she has learned and how to better adjust your own circadian rhythm.
This interview was compiled and condensed for clarity.
Have you had any amazing takeouts from your experiments in the bunker?
These internal clocks we have in our bodies are not precision timekeepers. That's why we need these regular recalibration opportunities in the bright cycle of our planet. But they are pretty good watches. For the first few days I lived nearly 24 hours without thinking about what the actual time was. I sometimes guess for fun, and I was a day and a half and I was only 11 minutes away.
So why is light so important to our internal clocks?
It has evolved outdoors. The sun during the day shines perfectly, centering on blue wavelengths. We have evolved these cells behind the eyes. These photoreceptors perceive that blue light and send signals to the brain's master clock. You can see this strong blue light. It must be in the daytime. That's how we evolved to communicate day from night to night.
In today's society, in many of us in the modern world, it is hidden from both bright days and dark nights.
In today's society, in many of us in the modern world, it is hidden from both bright days and dark nights. We've lost that contrast that evolved. Not only does it have this relatively dim light during the day, but it is also basically indoors with the same light when you sit under the light. It's really about that contrast that our clocks evolved to use to distinguish between day and night.
Should we try to get more of that contrast? So, when the sun sets, are you trying to darken it in our house and get a bright light in the daytime?
I'll say yes. This is what I'm trying to do. Especially in the morning, if you can actually go outside for 15 or 20 minutes, it will help you readjust your watch and keep it synced to 24 hours. During the day, try to stay near the window, even if it's cloudy.
Then, at night, the lights go dark. Try using warm shades of light. Orange people, red is better. In my apartment at night, I turn off all the overhead lights. I only use table lamps and electric candles around my apartment. When you enter the evening, if you are going to sleep, make sure to cut out all the light absolutely. If you have to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet, don't slip the bathroom lights. Carrying warm night lights and candles is the best plan.
I often hear advice The light comes out in the morning. Can a sad lamp effectively mimic that light?
If you have the option to go outside, you can go for a walk, and that's good for you. But if there is no option, and it is winter deaths everywhere at high latitudes and there is no sun in the morning, sad lamps definitely have their place.
Conversely, how should we worry about blue light from electronic devices?
To some extent, certain things can be exaggerated. The overhead lights in the apartment have probably had a big impact on you, especially compared to TVs. Because at that distance, the blue light coming from the TV is probably minimal. If you have an iPhone, dimming it probably isn't producing much harmful light. The consensus among scientists is that blue light can affect our sleep, our rhythm. The extent of its impact is still debatable. It's not harmful to try to limit it, but to a certain extent. You don't want to cut all the joys of your life. If you are looking at something calm, it can help you defeat your brain a bit to help you sleep at night, but the benefits may outweigh the risks.
Is there an “ideal” time between days to perform certain tasks based on a circadian rhythm, such as afternoon exercises?
There will be certain times in a day depending on how your personal chronotype and circadian rhythms are performed. On average, science suggests that late morning hours are the best as far as your vigilance is concerned. For me, I fall into that category. I've learned that so I try to use those times to tackle my more challenging mental work. Then, in terms of physical performance, on average, most of us are the best late afternoon or evening. For example, when most world records are broken for swimming. It's personal, so you need to gain your own sense of rhythm so that you can spend time on these activities.
On average, science suggests that late morning hours are the best as far as your vigilance is concerned.
Besides locking yourself with a bunker, how do you know when it's better suited to a particular task?
The best thing to do is make your body click on the air during your holidays. When you're tired, go to sleep, get up without an alarm, and wake up when your body wakes up naturally. Next, be careful. When do I feel the most? Above? When is the dip that day? Many of us have that afternoon dip, and although it is part of the circadian rhythm, it may fall at different times for different people. Do you feel like you want to run in the steps with spring? Make sure there is some wiggling room to help you follow your body schedule as closely as possible.
What practical takeaway do you offer when it comes to how to make sure your system is running efficiently?
There are three important things. The first thing I talked about was contrast. I'm about to get a bright day, a dark night.
The second thing is what I call Constrict. It has to do with eating, not just caffeine and alcohol. Try consolidating the time you eat and focusing on calories earlier in the day. For most of us, the afternoon, early afternoon morning is when our bodies are most able to handle incoming calories. That's the opposite of what modern society is doing. We tend to eat the biggest meals in the evening. Get your calories early and try blocking off calories, three hours before bedtime, ideally. With alcohol, if you're drinking, get it at happy hour rather than post dinner.
Finally, consistency – I'm going to bed every day and trying to wake up at the same time. More research has published that consistency in the days when you go to bed seven days a week and wake up in the morning can be more important than your sleep time.
