sleep and
circadian rhythm
24
At This Works we develop intelligent skincare solutions that synchronise
with your 24hr body clock. But why? What is your body clock or circadian
rhythm, why do they matter to your skin health & why do we start with sleep?
muscles relax; at this stage of sleep tissue growth,
repair occurs, energy is restored and
Our bodies come fitted with in-built clocks
hormones (such as growth) are released.
regulating the body’s day rhythms – circadian
Slowly we transition into the REM (rapid eye
rhythm. Set to almost 24hrs, the clocks control
movement) sleep phase, during which our bodies
all our body’s natural functions – from the
are immobile, our brain is active, and dreams
release of hormones to cell repair.
occur. Our muscles are
The master “biological
relaxed – almost paralysed
clock” - a “pace-maker”
and our body is immobile
controlling all the peripheral
– in order not to act out
clocks - is situated in the brain
dreams. In a partner it’s
and is tuned to the outside
You feel more alert waking
when you may notice their
world with the help of environ-
from a REM rather than
eyes moving back and forth
mental stimuli, of which light
from deep sleep. To maximise
as they sleep.
is the strongest and controls
the quality of your sleep, if
our sleep-wake pattern.
possible, time your sleep so
MODERN SLEEP
that you wake at the end of a
DISRUPTORS
WHAT HAPPENS
90-minute sleep cycle – hence
In generations gone by our
WHEN WE SLEEP?
the REM period; for
circadian rhythm and sleep
There are two key stages to
example, eight hours is just
cycles would have naturally
sleep, NREM and REM; these
over five 90 minute cycles
aligned with the
are repeated throughout the
and so allows you time to fall
environment around us –
night in a cycle that will, on
asleep
and
gently
wake-up.
waking with the dawn and
average, take around 90
WHAT IS CIRCADIAN RHYTHM?
18 eight hours
minutes.
NREM is the state we enter as we begin to fall
asleep. It stands for Non-Rapid Eye Movement
and covers our transition from wakefulness, to
light sleep, to deep sleep. During this phase we
disengage from our surroundings, our breathing
and heart rate are regular and our body
temperature drops. As we transition into our
deepest and most restorative sleep our blood
pressure drops, breathing becomes slower and
winding down at dusk – with
lifestyles that followed a
similar routine.
Today, we over-ride and disrupt our circadian
rhythm and natural sleep-wake pattern with
24hr access to light, irregular and more
sedentary working hours, regular intake of
stimulants such as caffeine, and addictive use of
devices.
When we disrupt our circadian rhythm or
thisworks.com
12