Restoring a disturbed sleep pattern

Once upon a time, you slept soundly at 11 p.m. But now? Now you're still awake at 2 a.m. Your biological clock has lost its way. Maybe it was the vacation, stress, or simply too much Netflix.
Fortunately, if you know how, things can easily get better again.

What is a disturbed day-night rhythm?

A disrupted day and night rhythm means that your natural sleep-wake cycle is out of balance. Your body no longer knows when it should sleep or be awake.
Do you often go to bed too late, sleep in, travel a lot between time zones or work night shifts? Then your internal clock could be out of whack.

How does your rhythm actually get disrupted?

Our internal clock or your 'circadian rhythm' (if you want to impress at parties), can become disrupted when you:

• sleeps in late on the weekend;
• often watches TV until late ;
• have variable working hours or work in shifts ;
• or eat a lot late at night.

Then at some point your body no longer understands when it should be asleep or awake.

How do you notice that your day and night rhythm is disturbed?

You notice that your day and night rhythm is disturbed when your body and head no longer cooperate when you need it . You have trouble falling asleep at night or you wake up too early and can't sleep anymore.

During the day you feel sleepy, but as soon as night falls, you are like a Duracell bunny. Your mood suffers from your lack of sleep: you are more easily irritated or depressed , for no apparent reason. Your concentration also fails you . Simple tasks suddenly require more effort .

In addition, you notice that your appetite shifts : you are not hungry at normal times, skip meals or snack late in the evening. Many people with a disturbed rhythm take naps during the day to recharge, but that makes falling asleep in the evening more difficult . Others do fall asleep, but wake up halfway through the night and toss and turn for hours.

It feels like your internal clock is completely out of whack. And often it really is.

How do you recover from a disturbed sleep pattern?

With structure and a lot of patience. The most important steps are:

1. Get up at the same time every day , even on weekends.

2. Seek out daylight in the morning , preferably outside.

3. Limit screen time and bright light in the evening.

4. Eat and exercise at regular times so that your body gets hungry at the right time.

5. Try a supplement to fall asleep faster.

6. Give it at least a week. Your rhythm needs time to adjust.