Dr White

How much does waking up with an alarm clock vs. waking up naturally affect the body?

By Dr White

 


What happens in the body when you wake up naturally and when the alarm clock wakes you up?


People have circadian rhythms The alarm clock is forcibly breaking the rhythm to make people stressed

For the body, waking up naturally is equivalent to a gradual boot-up state, while waking up with an alarm clock is a forced immediate boot-up.

Influenced by circadian rhythms, the body is already doing a lot of preparations an hour before waking up naturally.

When weak sunlight appears, adrenaline secretion slowly increases, promoting a rise in body temperature, and the brain gradually becomes active, increasing its control over the body and beginning to respond in some way to external stimuli.

        One hour before waking up, adrenaline secretion gradually increases

But the alarm clock wakes you up and the whole process is completely different.

The body in the sleeping state is very relaxed, breathing slowly, and the heart rate and adrenaline levels are low.

The alarm clock suddenly rings like a siren, and the awakened body thinks that something is wrong and quickly starts the emergency state: a large amount of adrenaline is suddenly secreted, the neurons of the brain suddenly start to enhance firing, the vagus nerve, which is dominant during sleep, is suddenly inhibited, and the sympathetic nerve is suddenly excited ......

Instantly, the blood pressure rises, the heart thumps, and the body enters a "fight" or "flight" state.

Japan's National Institute of Industrial Health found that people who were awakened by a sudden alarm had higher blood pressure and faster heart rates than those who woke up naturally.

There are different stages of sleep Alarm clocks may wake you up at the wrong stage

Sleep does not last until dawn, but goes through 5 to 6 sleep cycles, and each sleep cycle can be divided into three stages.

Deep sleep: deep sleep, not knowing anything.

Light sleep: seemingly awake, brain waves are gradually irregular, the frequency and amplitude are large and small, easily disturbed.

Rapid eye movement: brain neurons are similar to wakefulness, but the muscles are relaxed.

It has been found that if one is awakened by an alarm clock during the deep sleep stage, the performance in short-term memory and cognition is poorer within 2 hours after waking, and the motor ability remains below the baseline level 75 minutes after waking.

Alarm awakening also leads to the accumulation of more sleepy adenosine around neurons in the brain, feeling groggy and unable to focus the brain [6].

In severe cases, "confusional arousals" may also occur, such as not knowing where and when you are, not knowing who you are, having a temper tantrum, being hostile or violent, etc. ......

How can I wake up on time and painlessly?

Leave a gap in the curtains

Light is an important influence on circadian rhythms and initiates the body's preparation for sleep and wakefulness. By following the circadian rhythm of the sun, your body is more likely to wake up naturally.

If you need to wake up between 7 and 8, then the sun is the best wake-up call.

If you need to wake up at other times, you can buy a light that can be timed (note that if you want to wake up at 9:00, remember to set the light to 8:30 or earlier so that your body can adapt).

Try a gentler and lighter alarm

The problem with alarm wake-up calls is that they are too direct and brutal, forcing you to get up.

Then we can make the alarm clock milder, for example, the sound is slowly and gradually increasing, the alarm is more melodic, there are objects for the TA to call gently, giving the body a little buffer time.


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