How I mastered the art of waking up

Hi, welcome to newsletter #3.

Put on a pleasant beat on loop, and and lets begin.

What's inside :

• How I mastered the art of waking up.

• Jargon of the day

• Habit of the week

• Goal of the month

I believe for most people reading this, their average day looks like a scene from first person shooter game. You wake up, open your eyes and there is an endless stream of ugly tasks running at you from all sides.

How I wish I could get some more sleep, partly because we all deserve some, and mainly because sleeping enough, and more specifically waking up in the right way can give us extra lives and ammunition in this game of life.

Our body has an internal clock called the circadian clock. “Circadian” means a bunch of biological processes that happen in cyclic manner and repeat in 24 hour cycle.

During this 24 hrs. and especially during sleep a lot of behind the scenes stuff happens in our body that we are never aware of, but we enjoy its benefits like leaner body, better mood and longer, happier lifespan.

so what is the mechanism behind the circadian clock and how can we turn the dial in our favor?

The Melatonin dial -

Melatonin is like the dial that dims our awareness into sleep and slowly nudges us into wakefulness. It’s secretion is regulated by sunlight, because when this feature was being added into our body, sun was the only source of light.

Melatonin stops secreting as soon as light enters our eyes and our metabolism revs up into action. Basically, melatonin is the dial that keeps our circadian rhythm in check.

Sleep disruption and circadian misalignment can lead to increased caloric intake, decreased energy expenditure, and disrupted glucose metabolism, all of which can contribute to weight gain and metabolic diseases.

exposure to light at night or dim light during the day can lead to increased body mass, possibly by disrupting the timing of food intake and other metabolic signals.

Vitamin D - (Deep Sleep)

Vitamin D, which is synthesized in the skin in response to sunlight, has been associated with sleep quality, particularly in individuals with insufficient exposure to sunlight.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): 

A consistent sleep pattern is associated with a more stable basal metabolic rate, which is the amount of energy your body requires at rest. Disrupted sleep can lead to fluctuations in BMR, potentially affecting weight loss efforts.

A 10% weight gain has been predicted to result in an approximate 32% increase in sleep-disordered breathing, a condition associated with obesity.

Optimal melatonin secretion and a stable Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) can be regulated by maintaining certain habits related to sleep, light exposure, and diet.

so how can we fix this?

The night before:

Sleep Schedule - I am a big fan of a “time to sleep” alarm rather than a wake up alarm. It forces you to sleep on time and wrap up your work accordingly.

Dark Room - As much as I used to feel scared of sleeping in the dark, as as child of course, sleeping in pitch dark is ideal for your melatonin secretion.

Relaxing Bedtime Routine -My go to is reading a book or writing down a couple of pages of random thoughts.

Late Meals - I have become infamous in my house for eating dinner unreasonably early, at around 6pm and maybe have a glass of buttermilk or protein shake to accompany others while at the table.

The morning after

Search the light - the first thing I do is make some tea and sit near a window. not in a relaxing way on most days but in a quick 5 minute pseudo relaxing way while checking the phone, to absorb some sunlight and get the body moving.

Shower - shower works magically well in waking me up. It could be warm or cold but if its within the first hour of waking up only then it works its magic.

Breakfast - often waking up angry or grumpy can be due to low blood sugar. best way to fix it is with a fruit or some tea/coffee with jaggery or table sugar.

Workout - I saved this for last because not everyone likes working out, hence can’t recommend it to everyone. But some form of physical activity, cycling, yoga, stretching, jogging not only works wonders to wake you up properly but also stabilize your BMR.

Common myths - there are lot of practices like eating melatonin rich fruits and taking melatonin supplements. But none of them are conclusive and are expensive. so I have not included them in this list, and also I don’t personally take them.

I would like to hear from you. Reply with a topic you’d like me to cover.

Cheers,

Dr. Vishal.