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Your Guide to Resetting the Circadian Rhythm & Improving Sleep

Plus a free downloadable sleep diary with prompts to help you track and improve your sleep.



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Your Body & The Biological Clock

Biological clocks are innate mechanisms used by our bodies to drive and alter many aspects of day to day health. Of the most popular known, the Circadian rhythm rules sleep and plays a role in mood, physical strength, blood pressure, cognitive abilities, immune system and stress hormone levels.

The Circadian rhythm is driven by the patterns of light we perceive within a 24 hour period. It is synced up to our geophysical time by transmitting the light intensity (mainly during dawn and dusk) through the eye and sends them to the brain. The brain then responds by producing melatonin, a hormone that induces sleepiness.

Some of the most commonly seen sleep complaints are caused by circadian disruption, which occur in many people including night shift workers like those who work in healthcare or emergency services, and teenagers. Circadian disruptions may also occur as "jet lag", which happens when travelling through different time zones. When your circadian rhythm is thrown off because of jet lag, you might experience symptoms such as fatigue, confusion, swelling limbs, loss of appetite, headaches, irritability and constipation or diarrhea. It takes about a day for every time zone crossed for the circadian rhythm to align itself to the new local time.

How Does The Circadian Rhythm Impact Sleep & Health

The circadian rhythm drives habitual wakefulness in the morning and promotes a balanced drive for sleep as the day progresses. The amount of natural daylight you take in, particularly in the early morning, will positively affect your sleep duration and quality. Too much late evening light exposure can delay the circadian rhythm and cause later bedtimes. New research is showing that blue-light, the type of light emitted from phones, TVs and laptops, has stimulating properties. This means that using technology emitting blue light before your desired bedtime will delay the circadian phase, causing difficulties falling asleep. The circadian rhythm seems to work best when consistent sleep habits are in play, such as going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.

Interestingly, evidence is beginning to show that sleep and mental health may share overlapping neural pathways. A few studies are even showing that there is a break down in circadian rhythm and sleep-wake cycles prior to any clinical diagnosis of mental illness such as anxiety and depression. We are starting to understand that the quality of sleep you get also impacts other mental aspects of our bodies including vigilance, memory, reaction times and motivation. Sleep quality also has a impact on our metabolism, immune system, weight and may even be putting us at increased risk of certain kinds of cancer. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, disruptions in circadian rhythm due to night shift work is a probable carcinogen, placing individuals at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. It's pretty clear that sleep plays a significant role on our health and day to day functioning. But, how can we improve our sleep quality to in turn, improve our lives?

How to Improve Sleep and Restore the Circadian Rhythm

If you have ever seen a health care provider with concerns of insomnia, or an inability to fall and stay asleep, chances are you've heard of something called "Sleep Hygiene". Sleep Hygiene are the first steps to take in order to naturally improve the Circadian Rhythm and thus sleep.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

  • Let light in first thing in the morning upon waking, or get out of the office for sun breaks during the day.

  • Keep a consistent schedule by waking up and going to bed at the same time everyday.

  • Avoid day time napping.

  • Only go to bed if you are feeling sleepy, if you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes try getting up and going to another room to read (remember to avoid TVs, phones and laptops).

  • Do not consume caffeinated drinks 4 hours before your planned bedtime.

  • Avoid using alcohol to help fall asleep as it can disrupt sleep later in the night.

  • Daily exercise can help induce sleepiness at bedtime, but try to avoid exercise 2 hours before you go to bed as it will interfere with sleep.

  • Develop a relaxing and consistent bedtime routine such as a warm bath, reading or stretching.

  • Only use your bed for sleep and sex.

What about non-prescription medications or herbal remedies? There currently isn't any evidence that supplements such as melatonin may actually help with your sleep. If you are interested in exploring these avenues more talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

If your inability to fall asleep, maintain sleep or do not feel rested when you awake is impacting your ability to function during the day or your quality of life, it is important to reach out to a health care provider. Before seeing them for an appointment, try recording in a sleep diary every morning for 1-2 weeks in order to track your bedtime, sleep latency, total sleep time, awakenings and quality of sleep.

There is research support the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in order to treat insomnia. If you think you have insomnia, talk to your health care provider and consider checking out some of these online CBT self-help programs from www.sleepio.com, www.myshuti.com and cbtforinsomnia.com.


Free Downloadable Sleep Diary


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