The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) that houses your biological
clock, also governs your
body temperature, hormone secretion, urine production, and changes in blood
pressure. This complex system is also automatically linked with the rhythms of
light and dark, day and night. A nearly immediate effect of going to bed after
midnight is that it throws off your natural circadian rhythms, governed by your
SCN, and this may lead to insomnia. As well as
having a harder time falling asleep,
you also will likely have trouble staying asleep.
Not following circadian rhythms may result in a decrease in activities that tend to occur during
Non-REM sleep. These include repair and regrowth
of body tissues, building bone and muscle, strengthening the immune system, regulating affective brain function
and emotional experience, memory activities, and an ability to learn. My mother used to
say, “The two hours of sleep I get before midnight are the best two hours of
the night.” She may have had something there . . .
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