themselves to early sleep and avoid staying up late to adjust the biological clock and to benefit from the hormone melatonin
The Director of the Sleep Medicine and Research Center at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Professor Siraj Omar Wali, called on male and female students aged 12 years and over, who were included in the educational and health decision and will go to school at the end of August after receiving the corona vaccination, to the necessity of accustoming themselves from now to healthy sleep Avoid staying up late, in order to adjust the biological clock and the work of the hormone melatonin, which is important in human life for healthy sleep.
He pointed out that melatonin is a hormone naturally present in the body, produced by the pineal gland in the brain, and plays an important role in regulating the sleep cycle in humans, calling for our motto for our children at this stage to be a healthy mind not only in a healthy body but also in sound sleep as well. .
He pointed out that this hormone is secreted at night and is at its highest levels in the late night hours (3 to 4 in the morning), that is, about 3 hours after entering sleep, and then begins to decline gradually in preparation for waking up, and the daily rise in melatonin secretion is linked to regular sleep times, and becomes The date of secretion of the hormone melatonin two hours before the usual bedtime, as the main function of melatonin in the body is to regulate the cycles of night and day or cycles of sleep and wakefulness, and darkness causes the body to produce more melatonin, which indicates the body’s readiness and desire for sleep, and in turn, Light reduces melatonin production and this helps the body prepare to wake up. Some people who have trouble sleeping have low levels of melatonin, and it''s thought that adding melatonin from supplements may help them sleep.
He pointed out that some may suffer from the problem of sleep fluctuations at the beginning, and in fact, the speed of adapting to the new situation varies from one person to another. It reaches two weeks or more, and it is known to specialists in sleep disorders that providing sleep and wake times is very difficult, which makes it difficult to quickly adapt, unlike delaying sleep and waking up to which they adapt faster, and those may suffer from some symptoms during the first days of the start of the study such as lack of Activity during the day, increased drowsiness and lack of concentration, body aches, headaches, irritable mood, lack of appetite, stomach pain, acidity, reflux, and digestive upset, which negatively affects the psychological state.
He said: "Unfortunately, there is no strategy or treatment method for vital clock disorders in general that can effectively eliminate this problem within one day. The tips that must be followed to avoid or remedy this problem so that the body returns to its activity as it used to in the rest of the year and to follow the instinct of God that He d people with are resisting the temptations of staying up late at night, avoiding caffeinated drinks, avoiding agitation of the mind at least two hours before bed by reducing attachment Using social media, reducing noise and the intensity of lights, and trying to gradually adjust sleep schedules, such as providing them by an hour a day until they settle during the night hours instead of the day, and avoiding naps completely during the day so as not to delay the stage of sleep at night, and practicing relaxation exercises before bed, besides being careful Exposure to bright light, such as sunlight, in the early hours of the day, to help set the biological clock.
