Kang Kang, my niece is like she is locked in the bed recently, and it is so difficult to get up early every day!
The weather is getting colder, and the sleep problems are even more significant: you can’t get up during the day, can’t sleep at night, and make up for your sleep on weekends... irregular work and rest often lead to disordered biological clocks.
Once the biological clock is disordered, the quality of sleep is greatly reduced. What should I do?
is here, and experts are invited to lead us to scientifically adjust the biological clock and get back high-quality sleep~
Medical consultant
Shanghai Children's Hospital Respiratory Department
Ding Ying Attendant physician
Dong Xiaoyan Chief physician
What is a biological clock?
biological clock, that is, circadian rhythm, is an invisible "clock" in the organism. It is an endogenous, nearly 24-hour biological rhythm that exists in all organisms.
Image source: TuChong Creative
Binary clock regulates basic life activities in all aspects of the human body, not only regulating sleep, but also closely related to metabolic syndrome, cancer, obesity, diabetes , etc. Why does
cause biological clock disorder?
The average circadian rhythm cycle of humans is about 24.2 hours. It is generally necessary to guide the daily rhythm to slightly move forward through external stimulation to correct the trend of delay in the time phase caused by the human body slightly exceeding 24 hours.
External stimulation includes lighting (especially blue light ), exercise, eating and social activities. This also explains that playing with mobile phones and electronic products before going to bed, bright ambient light, and eating midnight snacks at night will disrupt the human body's biological clock and cause related sleep problems.
What are the common symptoms of sleep rhythm disorder?
The most common symptoms include difficulty falling asleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, and excessive lethargy. For children, the most common is sleep- delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD), which is characterized by habitual sleep time delay relative to the routine work and rest time.
Image source: Tuchuang Creative
School day, it is often difficult for children to fall asleep within the specified time (such as 10 o'clock at night), tossing and turning in bed, and it is difficult for them to get up early to prepare for school the next day.
In older children and adolescents, it is not only a symptom of sleep itself, but also a manifestation of: frequent lateness, absence of classes, decline in grades, even depression, truant school, and some may even cause safety problems.
How to help children adjust their biological clock?
. Provide sleep health education for children . For example, avoid using electronic products before going to bed, eat reasonably, exercise actively during the day, communicate with parents, release psychological pressure, regular work and rest, etc.
. Early morning light illumination method In life, you can try some methods to move forward day and night to help children fall asleep at an ideal time without affecting their study and work the next day.
If the morning light irradiation method is used, that is, the bright light irradiation is performed during the natural awakening time in the morning or slightly in advance of 1 hour, for 30 minutes to 1 hour, and the light irradiation is moved forward by 0.5-1 hour every day to help the child fall asleep early at night.
In addition to this, the regular use of melatonin and other drugs can also help, but since different doses of drugs may produce different effects, they need to be used under the guidance of a doctor to avoid adverse reactions.
In autumn and winter, children cannot wake up and have difficulty getting up. How to deal with it?
The day is short in autumn and winter, the night is long, the natural light is reduced in the morning, the biological clock is delayed, and the secretion of melatonin in autumn and winter is more than in summer, which makes the human body need more sleep during this season.
As a parent, you should remind your children to go to bed and fall asleep as early as possible at night, arrange their work and study time reasonably, and ensure adequate sleep. Only by following the rules of the biological clock and giving the body a full rest can you learn better.
If you have difficulty falling asleep at night, you can combine the "morning light illumination method" to slightly move the sleep phase forward, help the child fall asleep early at night, and ensure that the child has enough sleep time.
Picture source: TuChong Creative
Before getting up, turn the room temperature to a comfortable temperature. When getting up, play some soothing music, which can also alleviate the dilemma of not being able to get up in the morning in autumn and winter.
follows the biological clock to adjust the sleep rhythm, helping children to have better regular schedules, and helping to have high-quality sleep! Make rational use of the biological clock, develop good sleeping habits at night, and have a full mental state during the day.
Information: Shanghai Xiaokang
Edited by: Liu Qing
