Understanding Sleep and Circadian Rhythms with Jessa Gamble

What if our daily struggles with energy and sleep are more than just personal problems, and instead, a conflict between modern life and ancient biological rhythms? 

Brea interviewed Jessa Gamble, an award-winning science writer and author of "Siesta and the Midnight Sun: How Our Bodies Experience Time." They discussed the complexities of sleep and circadian rhythms. Jessa, a fellow Canadian, offers valuable knowledge and insights into how our biological clocks are closely tied to the Earth's rotation.

What is Circadian Rhythm?

Circadian rhythms are biological processes that occur in a cycle of about 24 hours. Jessa explains that these rhythms are not uniquely human but are a fundamental characteristic of almost all organisms on Earth. They regulate when we sleep and wake, influencing everything from our behaviour to our hormonal balances and overall health.

"There is this sort of hidden force in our lives that is controlling or at least influencing a lot more of our behavior than we have conscious access to.”

What Impacts Your Circadian Rhythm?

Jessa Gamble has highlighted the effect of modern lifestyles on our natural circadian rhythms. Several factors can disrupt these rhythms, leading to what Jessa refers to as "circadian imperialism" and "social jet lag":

Artificial Lighting: Exposure to bright artificial light, especially LED and blue light from screens, can trick our bodies into thinking it's still daytime, delaying sleep and disrupting the natural sleep-wake cycle.

Irregular Sleep Schedules: Variability in sleep and wake times, particularly on weekends compared to weekdays, can cause a misalignment in our internal clocks. This phenomenon, known as "social jet lag," mimics the effects of traveling across multiple time zones without leaving your time zone.

Work Hours: Conventional work hours, especially shift work, force many people to work against their natural sleep patterns, contributing to sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm misalignment.

Urban Lifestyle: Living in urban environments with less exposure to natural light during the day and more exposure to artificial light at night can significantly impact the timing of our biological clocks.

Globalization and Technology: The demands of a globalized economy and the non-stop nature of technological connectivity can pressure individuals to extend their waking hours, further distorting natural sleep patterns.

Cultural Expectations: Social expectations to stay up late for social gatherings or wake early for work can force individuals into unnatural patterns that conflict with their biological needs.

Understanding and mitigating these impacts can help align our daily routines with our biological clocks, enhancing overall health and well-being.

The Role of Light in Regulating Circadian Rhythms

Light plays a pivotal role in regulating our circadian rhythms. It directly influences our internal master clock, located in a part of the brain known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). This master clock orchestrates the timing of various biological functions by coordinating smaller peripheral clocks throughout our organs.

Exposure to natural light, especially in the morning, synchronizes this master clock in the brain. It then manages smaller clocks in different organs throughout the body. Jessa underscores the significance of coordinating our light exposure with the natural cycle of light and dark for maintaining optimal health.

Here's how light impacts our circadian rhythms, as discussed with Jessa:

• Morning Light Exposure: Engaging with natural light, particularly in the morning, is important. It helps reset our master clock daily, aligning our body's internal rhythm with the external environment. This reset helps promote wakefulness and prepares the body for the day ahead.
• Melanopsin Receptors: Special receptors in our eyes called melanopsin receptors play a significant role in this process. They don't help form images but detect light, providing signals to the master clock about the lighting conditions, which helps adjust our sleep-wake cycle accordingly.
• Influence on Sleep Quality: Getting enough light during the day can help us sleep better. It keeps our body in tune with the natural cycle of daylight and darkness.

Practical Tips for Light Management:

• Seek Natural Light: Try to get outside or near a window as soon as possible after waking up to expose yourself to natural light.
• Manage Evening Light: Reduce exposure to blue light emitted by screens in the evening. Consider using applications or settings on devices that reduce blue light exposure.
• Consistent Light Exposure: Maintaining a consistent pattern of light exposure can help stabilize your circadian rhythms, enhancing overall health and alertness.

Jessa emphasizes that synchronizing our activities with the natural cycles of light and dark is not just beneficial but essential for maintaining our circadian health. This synchronization helps us avoid the confusion and discomfort of "social jet lag" and optimizes our biological functions.

How Chronotype Affects Your Daily Life

Everyone has a chronotype, which dictates whether they are a morning person or an evening person. Understanding your chronotype can help you plan your activities to match your peak alertness and productivity times, thereby enhancing your personal and professional life.

Chronotypes are essentially our body's natural inclination towards certain times of day for sleep and activity, deeply influenced by our circadian rhythms.

Here’s a detailed look at how chronotypes affect us:

• Genetic Basis of Chronotypes: Our chronotypes are governed by genetics, which determine the length and timing of our circadian cycles. These differences mean that each person has a slightly different internal clock.
• Changes Through Life: Children typically have an earlier chronotype, waking and sleeping early. As they reach adolescence, a shift occurs, making them more inclined to stay up late and sleep in. This pattern often reverses as people age, gradually returning to the earlier patterns seen in childhood.
• Impact on Daily Functioning: Understanding your chronotype can significantly enhance how you schedule daily activities. For instance, a night owl forced to wake up early might struggle with productivity and alertness in the morning but may find increased energy and focus later in the day.
• Practical Applications:
  • Work and School Schedules: Aligning work or school schedules to match your chronotype can improve performance and reduce stress. If possible, adjust your commitments to better suit your natural sleep-wake cycle.
  • Social Planning: Knowing your chronotype can help in planning social activities. For evening types, late-night gatherings will be more enjoyable and less of a strain.
  • Health Implications: Misalignment between your natural chronotype and your actual sleep-wake schedule can lead to sleep deprivation and its associated risks, including mood disturbances and decreased cognitive function.

Jessa highlights the importance of acknowledging and respecting these natural variations in sleep patterns. By understanding and adjusting to our chronotypes, we can optimize our daily routines and overall well-being, reducing the friction between our biological needs and societal demands.

Personalized Medicine and Its Role in Circadian Health

Jessa touched on the emerging field of personalized medicine, which tailors medical treatment to individual characteristics, behaviours, and genetic profiles. This approach can extend to managing circadian rhythms by optimizing the timing of medication intake based on an individual's biological clock, enhancing the efficacy and reducing side effects.

Embracing Our Biological Nature for Better Health

Brea's discussion with Jessa reiterates the importance of understanding and embracing our biological rhythms. By doing so, we can improve our health, well-being, and harmony with our environment. This knowledge empowers us to make informed choices about our daily routines, emphasizing that we are part of a larger biological and environmental continuum.

About Jessa Gamble

Jessa Gamble is a prominent Canadian science writer and co-owner of the Last Word on Nothing blog. Her fascination with how circadian rhythms shape life on Earth has led her to explore how aligning more closely with these natural patterns could revolutionize our approach to health and productivity. Jessa’s insights challenge us to rethink our daily routines and advocate for a healthier integration of natural rhythms in a technology-driven world.

Blog: https://www.lastwordonnothing.com/

Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/417234/the-siesta-and-the-midnight-sun-by-jessa-gamble/9780143185857