circadian rhythm

Posted on Sleep disorders

Why Is Sleep Important? 7 Reasons For Getting a Good Night’s Rest

The Importance Of Proper Rest
Human beings function on cycles called “circadian rhythms”. Essentially, the pattern of light in the day will “cycle” a person from wakefulness to fatigue. If you’ve ever stayed up all night, the points where you were most tired were likely threefold: at dusk, just before dawn, and around three in the morning. That’s due, at least in part, to circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms and their impact notwithstanding, people need sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, it can kill you. The precise “why” of this is hard to pin down. There are, however, things that science has established that are linked with healthy sleeping patterns. Following we’ll explore seven considerations regarding sleep that demonstrate its necessity.




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1. Emotional Stability
Miss a few hours—or a few nights—of sleep, and you’re likely going to be irritable. You’re fighting fatigue, which means all your attention must be on one task at a time. So when someone interrupts you, the part of your brain which would regulate a knee-jerk emotional response is dulled, and you’re more likely to lash out.

You can see it in toddlers, you can see it in adults. When someone goes without food or without sleep too long, there is a period of irritation wherein the slightest impediment can set a person into a tirade. Compounding the issue is brain fog. When you haven’t slept enough, things that make no sense may irritate you, and that may result in bad choices.

2. Overall Mental Health
One of the reasons people addicted to “uppers” or “stimulants” tend to have psychotic personalities has to do with sleep deprivation. Synthetic substances keep the mind awake. The mind is, as far as science understands, centered in the brain. The brain and mind are separate—the brain is the hardware, the mind is the software.

The hardware of the brain “overheats” with overuse. Since it’s organic, it can never really be turned “off”. Sleep is the “rest” cycle of the brain. If you miss it too long, then the “hardware” starts to “glitch”–does that make sense? So those who go without sleep for long periods of time have “glitchy” brains. Bad hardware affects software.

The best software can’t run on bad hardware. Many who have good personalities and mean well get caught in a stimulant “loop” which gradually erodes their mind. But since they don’t feel fatigued owing to varying substances they’ve become addicted to, they keep perpetuating the issue through sheer will. Psychoses follow. Mental health declines without sleep.




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3. Social Harmony
When people are irritable and don’t have the best mental health, that tends to impact interpersonal relations. Somebody who never gets enough sleep is likely somebody who is hard to get along with. Social harmony declines, meaning the “herd animal” element of humanity is threatened for such an individual.

Human beings are social, but being social means regarding others as you would regard yourself. Without sleep, a sort of self-centeredness develops out of necessity. The “hardware” of your brain is having trouble running the mind’s “software”, so the individual afflicted must focus directly on tasks, meaning anyone who gets in the way can get them easily off track.

Accordingly, the instinct is to keep on one’s directional “footing”. As a result, people who haven’t slept much snap at others, they are hard to work with, and the list goes on. Social harmony becomes discordant, if you will when sleep is lost.

4. For Bodily Functionality
Have you ever woke up with a crick in your neck? Sometimes back pain will impact you from poor sleeping habits as well. The thing is, it’s not always the way in which you sleep that causes issues. Sometimes it’s the mattress you’re sleeping on. Poor support can cause your back to sag. Too much firmness can also cause pain.

There’s a delicate balance, and innerspring mattresses tend to hit that balance well. If you’re not too savvy as regards the varying distinctions that define modern innerspring mattress options, here’s a great article to innerspring mattress details. Regardless of the mattress you use, if you wake up with aches or pains, that’s bad—and affects overall sleep. Comfort is key.

5. Occupational Security
Occupational security lags from several angles under sleep deprivation. For one thing, if you’re irritable and in pain from poor sleep or no sleep, you’re hard to get along with. Eventually, the boss gives you the boot. For another thing, even if your boss doesn’t notice that you’ve become emotionally distant, the quality of your work will lag.

6. Imagination Stimulation
If you’ve paced a furrow in the carpet trying to think of the solution for something, but it won’t come, go to bed. When you wake up, the solution may just drop into your brain like some strange angel took an eye-dropper full of imagination and squeezed a bit in your mind. Sleep renews the mind because brain hardware gets a rest.

As a result, some of your best ideas will always come within a few hours of waking up. You can’t wake up if you don’t go to sleep. Beyond simple dreams—which we’ll get to in a moment—getting a good night’s sleep serves to stimulate your imagination overall.

7. Dreams Are Nice, And Sleep Feels Good
Beyond being stimulating in terms of positive emotion, dreams can give you ideas. Many sleep scientists believe that dreams develop as the mind works through the experiences of the day. Well, some of us have had dreams that make that hypothesis questionable. Regardless, almost everyone has had such an amazing dream, they’d love to go back.

If you don’t sleep, you don’t get those dreams. Also, when you’ve had a long day, and your eyes are drooping, and you have to fight to stay awake, and the only thing you can think about is your comfortable bed, finally coming to that place of rest is sort of like a drink of freshwater for the body and mind. Miss sleep and that nourishment disappear.

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Mental And Physical Enablement Through Sleep
Dreams, the general good feeling which comes with sleep, imagination stimulation, occupational security, bodily functionality, social harmony, overall mental health, and emotional stability all rely on solid sleep.

Get yourself the right mattress, determine how you rest best, and be sure every night you get a good six to nine hours of sleep, depending on your personal constitution. It’s good for many reasons; these seven are just the tip of the iceberg.

2 Comments Posted on Autism, Patient Talk

Sleep disorders and children diagnosed with autism. Read some amazing information in our guest post from Dr. Sonya Doherty




Dr. Sonya Doherty

Dr. Sonya Doherty




Welcome to our latest guest post from Dr. Sonya Doherty. You can read the original post on her blog here. Dr. Sonya Doherty is a licensed and board certified Naturopathic Doctor who is an active member of the CAND. Sonya Doherty completed her undergraduate training at the University of Western Ontario in a Bachelor of Science Honors Kinesiology program.

You may be also interested in a recent discussion blog we ran which looked at this very subject!

If you have a child diagnosed with autism, or who you suspect is on the spectrum, chances are your child is having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep.  Sleep is essential to support optimal development.  Research at the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute has identified that 90% of children diagnosed with autism havemethylation impairments . Methylation impairment can change the way children produce brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, GABA, glutamate and norepinephrine.  With respect to sleep, serotonin is a much need neurotransmitter.  90% of serotonin comes from the gastrointestinal tract.  Up to 85% of children with ASD have digestive problems including constipation, diarrhea, pain and gut flora imbalance.  Serotonin is converted to melatonin with the help of vitamin D.  Vitamin D deficiency is well documented in the autism focused medical research. 




Adequate magnesium levels are required for healthy sleep onset and maintenance.  Many children with autism and ADHD have magnesium levels that are lower than normal.  Magnesium deficiency is the 4th most common nutrient deficiency in North America.  Nutrient deficiencies, digestive problems and methylation impairment combine to negatively impact healthy sleep patterns in ASD.  Children who are experiencing developmental concerns are at a substantially higher risk of experiencing sleep disorders.  The children who need sleep the most are having trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep,  having restful sleep are early waking.

Addressing sleep issues in children with autism is multi-faceted.  Many parents have altered routines to accommodate their child’s imbalanced circadian rhythm.  Putting children to sleep much later than same age peers, results in an exhaustion cycle that exacerbates behaviours and sensory overload.  Your child’s body has two ways to get to sleep. One is at their age appropriate bed time which is supported by appropriate melatonin levels.  The melatonin signal is initiated by darkness and regulates the sleep-wake cycle by causing drowsiness.  Limiting TV, iPads and other screens in the evening is important for children with sleep onset insomnia.  Blackout blinds are also crucial to help support the repair of your child’s sleep cycle.  Melatonin production must be stimulated to increase documented low levels experienced by children with an autism diagnosis.  Use of melatonin is an important “band aid” treatment during this time as children’s methylation cycle is supported and repaired.  Other helpful sleep supports include magnesium glycinate, GABA, L-theanine and botanical medicines like valerian, skullcap, lemonbalm, zizyphus and passionflower.

The importance of melatonin in the management of sleep disorders and gastrointestinal problems in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder:

One of the most common questions that I am asked by parents is about melatonin safety.  “Is it safe to give my child melatonin?”

I think the below information will make it clear that it may be unsafe not to give your child with autism melatonin.

The International Child Development Resource Center performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on melatonin and autism.  Their findings show that most children diagnosed with autism have:

  • Abnormalities in their melatonin levels
  • Gene abnormalities that contribute to lower melatonin levels
  • Show positive changes with respect to sleep duration, onset and night time waking
  • Show improvement in autistic behaviours

Sleep problems in autism usually start at the same age as developmental regression, suggesting a higher vulnerability at this period of life. Healthy sleep patterns are essential to support neuroplasticity and development so it is important to address sleep disorders as soon as possible.  According to the Center of Pediatric Sleep Disorders, studies of melatonin use in children with ASD provide evidence for its effectiveness and safety in the long run.

Melatonin, however, has a larger role to play in development beyond its function as a synchronizer of the biological clock. Melatonin is a hormone that helps in the regulation of the gastrointestinal system.  The gut is 100% responsible for post-natal development.  In the gut, melatonin, governs intestinal reflexes, motility, the immune function, gut secretions, energy balance, pain regulation and protects against inflammation.  The gut contains at least 400 times more melatonin than the pineal gland  The GI tract produces its own melatonin which suggests it plays a large role in maintaining gut health; both in a healthy digestive tract and in gut disorders.  Children diagnosed with ASD have alterations in their gut flora in addition to higher prevalence of constipation, diarrhea, reflux and pain.  The balance of good bacteria is not the same as typically developing children.  Melatonin levels change gut flora and improve anti-microbial actions.  With the startling numbers of children experiencing both gut issues and sleep issues, this new research about melatonin’s role in gastrointestinal health could provide clues about treatment and repair of these biological systems.

Other interesting information about melatonin:

  • Melatonin is also synthesized by the bone marrow cells, white blood cells, mast cells and skin cells
  • It is a powerful antioxidant
  • Melatonin helps to protect mitochondria from oxidative stress which damages cells
  • Melatonin also helps to support glutathione production.  Glutathione is widely considered the most important antioxidant in the body.  In another study, The Arkansas Children’s Research Institute found that children diagnosed with autism have up to 80% of their glutathione depleted.  Glutathione depletion may be part of the central mechanism for developmental delay because the role it plays in protecting the brain from toxicity
  • There is research to support that melatonin helps to support healthy immune function by fighting infectious disease including viral and bacterial infections
  • Melatonin has shown some promise in modulating the immune function in autoimmune disease