This past Sunday, all Americans lost something very near and dear to our hearts.
We all collectively mourned as we said goodbye… to an hour of sleep.
On the bright side – pun intended – we’re getting more sun every day now, and so happy beginning of the end of seasonal depression!
With sleep and sun on everyone’s mind, I thought it might be a good time to talk about how to improve your circadian rhythm.
About a year ago, I wrote an article about how I discovered and fixed my bad sleeping habits using my genes.
The changes in my health over the past year have made me a huge advocate for optimal sleep.
So yes, I am looking for any excuse to talk about it. Thank you daylight savings time.
About 40% of differences in people’s chances of having sleep issues may be attributed to genetics.
There are 2 genes that are most studied for their impact on your circadian rhythm, the PER2 and CLOCK genes.
Here’s how they impact your circadian rhythm, and what you can do to optimize your sleep.
What is Circadian Rhythm?
Your body operates on a 24-hour internal clock called the circadian rhythm, which regulates wakefulness and sleepiness based on external cues like light and darkness. Exposure to sunlight signals wakefulness, while darkness triggers the production of melatonin, promoting sleepiness. Throughout the night, your body cycles through sleep stages, with melatonin levels decreasing as morning approaches, helping you wake up feeling refreshed and alert.
CLOCK & PER2
The CLOCK gene encodes a protein called CLOCK, which is involved in regulating the expression of other genes that play a role in the body’s circadian rhythm.
The PER2 is one of the genes that is turned on by CLOCK and acts like a moderator, as its job is to keep everything in check.
Once PER2 is produced, it forms complexes with other proteins that eventually put the brakes on CLOCK, slowing down the process.
So, CLOCK gets things going, while PER2 makes sure everything doesn’t run too fast.
If either of them isn’t working right, it can mess up your body’s internal clock, leading to sleep problems and other issues.
And, unfortunately, there are some negative variants of both the CLOCK and PER2 gene that are linked to a bad circadian rhythm.
SelfDecode pretty much confirmed my suspicion of the need for optimizing my circadian rhythm with this red sad face showing that I’m susceptible to Daytime Sleepiness.
The great thing about this new version of SelfDecode is that you’ll receive prioritized, personalized recommendations based on every gene related to sleep.
Here are some of the top supplement recommendations on my list!
Optimize Your Sleep, Optimize Your Health
Understanding the role of genes like CLOCK and PER2 can shed light on your individual sleep patterns and help you make informed choices to improve your sleep quality.
Anyone that knows me won’t be shocked to hear that I’m writing another email about sleep. I will talk your ear off about it.
It has been that important for my overall health, and it wasn’t that hard to fix. Focus on your sleep for a few months, and I’m certain you’ll be an advocate just like me.
