Biological night: Hike on out of bed

Blue Stragglers     (ESA/Hubble photo)

Are you tossing and turning by the dim light of the TV?  Then slap on some boots and hike on out the door.

Grab and tent and a sleeping bag on your way because you’ll be needing them.  Latest studies show that the cure for insomnia might lie beneath the stars.

The human body’s circadian clock runs on melatonin.  The more melatonin in the blood, the sleepier a person gets. Campters’ bodies begin releasing melatonin around sunset, and stop releasing it around sunrise.  Householders’ bodies are constantly confused by the presence of artificial light.

How long will it take for the average body to reclaim sound sleep?  Figure on a six-day camping trip.  By the end of that week, you might even hitch your wagon to a star.

 

Resources

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-camping-better-sleep-20170202-story.html 

Copyright February 10, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved