How To Fix Your Sleep Schedule - Reset Your Sleep Pattern (animated)

Summary

The script tells the story of Mike, who struggles with an unhealthy sleep schedule exacerbated by an ill-advised all-nighter attempt. It explains the importance of the circadian rhythm and sleep pressure in regulating sleep patterns, the disruptive effects of artificial light and caffeine, and offers practical advice for resetting sleep habits, including gradual schedule adjustments, sunlight exposure, and avoiding caffeine before bedtime.

Takeaways

• 🌙 Mike's current sleep schedule is unhealthy, staying up until 3am playing video games instead of the recommended 10pm bedtime.
• ⏰ A common but misguided approach to resetting sleep is pulling an all-nighter, which Mike initially plans to do by staying awake for 37 hours.
• ☕ Mike's reliance on coffee and energy drinks to stay awake is a temporary fix that can lead to a 'caffeine crash' and further disrupt sleep patterns.
• 💤 Mike's failed attempt at an all-nighter resulted in an 8-hour sleep, further confusing his body's natural sleep-wake cycle.
• 🔄 The script emphasizes that all-nighters are not a sustainable solution and likens them to a quick fix without addressing the root cause of poor sleep habits.
• 🕒 Gradual adjustments to sleep time, such as moving bedtime 15 minutes earlier each day, are recommended over drastic changes.
• 🌞 The importance of sunlight in regulating circadian rhythms is highlighted, suggesting that Mike should get sunlight as soon as he wakes up.
• 🌌 The script explains that artificial light, especially blue light from screens, can disrupt sleep patterns and should be avoided before bed.
• 🏃‍♂️ Daily routines, including exercise and meals, should be adjusted in timing to help realign the body's internal clock.
• 💊 The buildup of adenosine in the brain as a result of being awake contributes to sleepiness, and caffeine consumption can mask this signal but lead to a crash later.
• 🛌 Getting sufficient sleep is crucial for allowing the brain to clear out adenosine and establish a healthy sleep-wake cycle.

Q & A

What is the main issue with Mike's sleep schedule?

Mike's main issue is that he stays up playing video games until 3am instead of going to bed at his desired time of 10pm, leading to an unhealthy sleep pattern.

What is the common approach Mike initially considers to reset his sleep schedule?

Mike considers pulling an all-nighter, which means staying awake for an extended period, in this case, 37 hours, to reset his sleep schedule to his desired bedtime.

Why does Mike's attempt to pull an all-nighter fail?

Mike's attempt fails because, after being awake for 26 hours, he experiences a sudden drop in energy and accidentally sleeps for 8 hours instead of the intended 30-minute nap.

What is the average duration of an adult human's circadian clock according to the script?

The average duration of an adult human's circadian clock is about 24 hours and 15 minutes.

How does sunlight affect our circadian rhythm?

Sunlight is the primary signal that resets our circadian rhythm to precisely 24 hours, overriding our slightly longer internal clock.

What is the role of melatonin in our sleep cycle?

Melatonin is a hormone that starts to be produced in the evening, making us feel sleepy at night. Its levels drop in the early morning, preparing us to wake up.

What is adenosine and how does it affect our sleepiness?

Adenosine is a chemical that builds up in the brain with every waking minute, increasing our desire to sleep. High concentrations of adenosine can create an irresistible urge to sleep.

How does caffeine interact with adenosine and affect our alertness?

Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors in the brain, tricking us into feeling alert and awake despite the buildup of adenosine that would normally make us feel sleepy.

What is the recommended strategy for Mike to gradually adjust his sleep schedule?

Instead of pulling an all-nighter, Mike should gradually move his entire daily routine, including sleep time, 15 minutes earlier each day to reach his desired bedtime.

Why is it important to avoid bright artificial light and screen time at night?

Bright artificial light and screen time at night can disrupt our circadian rhythm and melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep and maintain a healthy sleep schedule.

What is the impact of not getting enough sleep on adenosine levels in the body?

If not enough sleep is obtained, adenosine does not get fully cleared out and continues to accumulate, leading to chronic tiredness and fatigue.

Outlines

00:00

🕹️ Mike's Late-Night Gaming and Sleep Struggles

Mike has developed a habit of playing video games until 3am, which disrupts his sleep schedule. Seeking a solution, he learns about the method of pulling an all-nighter to reset his sleep cycle. Despite planning to stay awake for 37 hours, he ends up falling asleep and sleeping for 8 hours unintentionally, worsening his sleep schedule.

05:01

⏳ The Ineffectiveness of All-Nighters

Mike's attempt to fix his sleep schedule with an all-nighter was doomed to fail. Even if successful, such methods are temporary and do not address underlying issues. A better approach involves gradually adjusting the sleep schedule by 15 minutes daily and understanding the body's circadian rhythm.

10:03

🕰️ Understanding the Circadian Rhythm

The circadian rhythm is a 24-hour internal clock regulating sleep and wakefulness. Controlled by hormones like melatonin and cortisol, it adjusts to environmental cues like light. Historical experiments show that without external light, the human circadian rhythm slightly exceeds 24 hours, resetting daily with sunlight.

15:03

🌞 Using Environmental Cues to Reset the Circadian Rhythm

Besides sunlight, other external cues like food, temperature, exercise, and social interactions help reset the internal clock. For blind individuals, these cues are essential. Mike should adjust his entire daily routine, including exercise and meals, to align with his desired sleep schedule.

💡 The Impact of Artificial Light

Artificial light disrupts circadian rhythms by mimicking sunlight. Bright indoor lights and screens emitting blue light can interfere with melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep. To mitigate this, Mike should dim lights and avoid screens before bedtime, using apps like Twilight and f.lux.

☕ Caffeine and Its Effects on Sleep

Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, temporarily preventing sleepiness but leading to a crash when it wears off. Mike experienced this during his all-nighter attempt. Consuming caffeine too close to bedtime can hinder sleep quality, as it remains in the system for several hours.

🛌 Prioritizing Quality Sleep

Mike's reliance on caffeine indicates insufficient sleep. Quality sleep allows the brain to clear adenosine, reducing daytime fatigue. Consistently getting enough sleep without an alarm helps establish a stable circadian rhythm and improves overall health.

📢 Video Conclusion and Call to Action

The video concludes with a recap of tips to improve sleep schedules: avoid all-nighters, adjust daily routines, get morning sunlight, limit artificial light exposure at night, avoid caffeine before bed, and prioritize sufficient sleep. Viewers are encouraged to like the video and support through a buymeacoffee page.

Keywords

💡Sleep Schedule

A sleep schedule refers to the regular pattern of sleep and wakefulness that a person follows. In the video's context, it is central to Mike's struggle with his disrupted routine and his attempt to reset it. The video emphasizes the importance of a consistent sleep schedule for maintaining healthy sleep habits, as Mike's irregular sleep times lead to tiredness and reliance on coffee.

💡Circadian Rhythm

The circadian rhythm is an internal biological clock that regulates the cycle of sleep and wakefulness in humans, approximately every 24 hours. The video explains that this rhythm is influenced by external cues like sunlight and is crucial for aligning sleep patterns with the day-night cycle. Mike's circadian rhythm is disrupted by his late-night gaming and use of artificial light.

💡Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that the body produces in the evening, signaling that it is time to sleep. The video mentions melatonin as part of the body's natural sleep regulation process, which is affected by the circadian rhythm. Mike's late-night activities interfere with the normal production of melatonin, contributing to his sleep issues.

💡Cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone that is released in the morning, promoting wakefulness and energy. The video describes how cortisol counteracts melatonin, helping individuals feel alert in the morning. Mike's disrupted sleep schedule affects the balance between melatonin and cortisol, leading to his tiredness upon waking.

💡All-Nighter

An all-nighter refers to staying awake throughout the night, often as an attempt to reset one's sleep schedule. The video script uses Mike's all-nighter attempt as an example of a misguided strategy for adjusting sleep patterns. Instead of helping, it leads to a 'caffeine crash' and further sleep disruption.

💡Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant commonly found in coffee and other beverages that temporarily wards off drowsiness and increases alertness. The video discusses caffeine's role in masking sleepiness by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain. Mike's over-reliance on caffeine to stay awake and function during the day indicates a lack of sufficient sleep.

💡Adenosine

Adenosine is a neuromodulator that accumulates in the brain during wakefulness and promotes sleepiness. The video explains that caffeine's effect is to block adenosine receptors, delaying the onset of sleep. However, once caffeine is metabolized, the accumulated adenosine leads to a strong sleep pressure, as experienced by Mike after his all-nighter attempt.

💡Caffeine Crash

A caffeine crash occurs when the stimulating effects of caffeine wear off, leading to a sudden increase in sleepiness and fatigue. The video script illustrates this concept through Mike's experience, where he falls asleep after his body metabolizes the caffeine he consumed during his all-nighter attempt.

💡Artificial Light

Artificial light, such as indoor lighting and screens, can disrupt the circadian rhythm by mimicking sunlight. The video emphasizes the negative impact of artificial light on sleep patterns, especially when used at night, as it can interfere with the production of melatonin and cortisol.

💡Blue Light

Blue light is a specific wavelength of light emitted by screens on electronic devices like TVs, computers, and smartphones. The video explains that blue light exposure at night can suppress melatonin production and increase cortisol, leading to difficulty falling asleep. Mike's use of screens before bed exacerbates his sleep problems.

💡Sleep Pressure

Sleep pressure is the increasing desire to sleep as a result of accumulating adenosine in the brain. The video script discusses how sleep pressure builds up throughout the day and is normally relieved by sleep. However, Mike's use of caffeine to stay awake artificially suppresses this pressure, leading to a crash when the caffeine effects wear off.

Highlights

Mike's sleep schedule is disrupted by playing video games until 3am instead of the recommended 10pm bedtime.

The common approach of pulling an all-nighter to reset sleep is suggested but is not a sustainable solution.

Mike's plan to stay awake for 37 hours to reset his sleep schedule is outlined, highlighting the challenge of this method.

Mike's reliance on coffee and energy drinks to stay awake is discussed, emphasizing the temporary nature of this strategy.

The consequences of Mike's failed attempt at an all-nighter, including an unintended 8-hour sleep and further sleep schedule disruption.

The analogy of all-nighters to a fat loss pill is used to illustrate the superficial nature of quick fixes for sleep issues.

A gradual approach of shifting sleep and wake times by 15 minutes daily is recommended over drastic changes.

The importance of understanding the body's circadian rhythm and its impact on sleep and wakefulness is explained.

The role of melatonin and cortisol in regulating sleep and wake cycles is discussed.

The historical experiment in Mammoth Cave that revealed the innate human circadian rhythm is recounted.

The average duration of the adult human's circadian clock and its implications for sleep schedule adjustments is presented.

The influence of external cues like sunlight on resetting the circadian rhythm is highlighted.

The negative impact of artificial light and blue light from screens on sleep patterns is discussed.

The concept of sleep pressure caused by the buildup of adenosine in the brain is introduced.

Caffeine's role in masking sleep pressure and the consequences of a caffeine crash are explained.

The recommendation to avoid caffeine 8 hours before bed to ensure proper sleep is given.

The importance of getting enough sleep for the brain to clear adenosine and the suggestion to sleep without an alarm clock.

A recap of the video's advice on manipulating sleep schedules and the importance of a healthy sleep routine.

Transcripts

This is Mike.

Like a lot of people out there, his sleep schedule has gone a little out of hand. Instead

of going to bed at 10pm like he should, he instead plays video games until 3am on daily basis.

However he wants to change that, so he asks others what he should do. He finds out that

a common approach to resetting your sleep, is to pull an all-nighter.

Basically you don't sleep for one day, and you go to bed at the desired time the next day.

This means he needs to stay awake for 37 hours, as he usually wakes up at 9am and his desired

bed time is 10pm.

This makes sense to Mike, and he plans to do it the next day. He wakes up around 9am,

after getting his 6 hours of sleep and goes through his daily routine.

He always wakes up tired, but he uses coffee to get him up and running.

When his usual bed time rolls around, which is 3am, he doesn't go to sleep, but instead

pushes forward and stays awake.

Mike has loaded himself with coffee and energy drinks, just to make sure he can keep on going

and is using video games to distract himself. He feels tired, but he's also confident in his

ability to make it sleepless.

However at 11am, when Mike has been awake for 26 hours, he feels a sudden drop in his energy.

He decides to take a quick 30 minute nap and even sets up his alarm just in case. But when

he wakes up, it's already 7pm.

Without even realizing it, he turned off that alarm and instead of napping for 30 minutes,

he slept for 8 hours.Now he's just 3 hours away from his desired bed time. But Mike is

fully awake and is not tired at all. He messed up his sleep schedule even more and now he's

set to be awake during the night. Not good. Where did Mike go wrong? Well, Mike was set up for

failure the moment he decided to pull an all-nighter.

Even if he hadn't fallen asleep and had made it through those 37 hours, in a few weeks

he would most likely be going to bed at 3am again. All-nighters are like buying a fat loss pill.

Sure it could help you suppress your appetite, and you could even lose a few pounds because

you're not as hungry.

But if you don't fix your eating habits, those pills won't do much. It's like putting a band-aid

on a bigger problem. Rather than pulling an all-nighter, Mike should focus on fixing his

sleep habits. A much better approach for Mike, would be to go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier.

If he just moved his sleep schedule 15 minutes backwards, every day, it would be a much better choice.

It's not an immediate fix, but slowly he would get to his desired bedtime.However a common

problem with this strategy is that even if you go to sleep 15 minutes earlier, you will

just toss and turn in bed for 15 extra minutes.

And waking up in the morning will also feel like a chore. So it's good to to understand

how your body knows when it's time to wake up or go to sleep.

There are two factors that regulate this. The first factor that determines when you feel

sleepy and awake is your circadian rhythm. Basically this is our internal 24 hour clock and this

rhythm controls our bodies. This is not just some airy-fairy thing.

There are certain times of day when your body is designed to adjust its temperature and

release specific hormones.

And the timing of it all, comes down to this internal clock. One of the hormones, that is

controlled by this body rhythm, is called melatonin. We start to produce it in the evening,

and this hormone is the reason we feel sleepy at night.

However in the early morning melatonin levels drop and we start to produce a different hormone,

called cortisol. Cortisol is what makes us feel awake and energetic in the morning.So

circadian rhythm controls those two hormones, but what controls our circadian rhythm?

In 1938, two researchers where curious what would happen if humans lived in complete darkness.

Would our wakefulness and sleeping pattern become completely erratic or would it still

follow a 24 hour schedule? The researchers decided to be their own guinea pigs and they

took a trip into Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.

A cave so deep that no detectable sunlight can penetrate in. In total they lasted 32 days

in complete darkness and two discoveries have been made. The first is that humans generate

their own circadian rhythm in the absence of external light from the sun.

Neither of the researchers had random spurts of wake and sleep, but instead expressed a

predictable and repeating pattern.

About 15 hours of wakefulness, along with consolidated 9 hours of sleep. The second finding

was that their reliably repeating cycle of wake and sleep, was not precisely 24 hours.

Instead it was consistently and slightly longer. In the 80+ years since their experiment, we have

now determined that the average duration of adult human's circadian clock is about 24h

and 15min.

This is why it's much easier to stay awake longer and move your sleep schedule forward. But

because we routinely experience the light from the sun, we reset our circadian rhythm

daily. The sunlight overruns our imprecise internal clock and winds it back to precisely

24 hours. Daylight is the most reliable signal that we have in our environment, but it's

not the only signal the brain can use for the internal clock resetting.

As long as they are reliably repeating, the brain can also use other external cues, such

as food, temperature fluctuations, exercise and even regularly timed social interaction.

All these events have the ability to reset our internal clock.

It's the reason why individuals with certain forms of blindness do not entirely lose their

circadian rhythm.

Despite not receiving light cues due to their blindness, other factors act as their resetting

triggers. So Mike shouldn't just move his sleep schedule 15 minutes backwards every day.

He should move his entire daily routine.

He should be exercising 15 minutes sooner, eating his breakfast, lunch and dinner 15

minutes earlier and most importantly, getting sunlight as soon as he woke up. Almost everything

in your daily routine can act as a checkpoint for you circadian rhythm and by manipulating

the timings, you can trick your body into recognizing what time it is. But as I mentioned,

sunlight is the primary signal for your internal clock. However, there's one big problem we

face nowadays.

Artificial light.

Our indoor lights are bright enough to disrupt our circadian rhythms, because they mimic

the sun. This artificial light confuses your body about what time it is, because it can't

tell the difference between a light bulb and sunlight.

It doesn't mimic it to the full extent, but just enough to disrupt your rhythm. The problem

is not the exposure to artificial light itself, but the timing.

Thus, the goal is to control the timing in a way that mimics the natural cycle of the

day and night.

That means Mike should dim out the lights, use weaker light bulbs or use candles in the evening.

But it's even more important to avoid looking at screens at night.

The TV, computers and smartphones all emit blue light, which triggers your body into

producing more daytime hormones, such as cortisol.

And production of melatonin, the sleepiness hormone, gets interrupted as well.

I've recommended using two apps before, twilight and f.lux.

They block out most of the blue light, however they are not enough.

If Mike is serious about his sleep, he should avoid any kind of screen time, at least 1

hour before bed.

Optimally 2 hours. So the 24 hour circadian rhythm is the first factor determining our

wake and sleep pattern.

The second factor is sleep pressure.

At this very moment, a chemical called adenosine is building up in your brain and will continue

to do so with every waking minute. The longer you're awake, the more adenosine will accumulate

and along with it, so will your desire to sleep. High concentrations of adenosine turn

down the volume of wake-promoting regions in the brain, while simultaneously turning

up the dial on sleep-inducing regions. As a result of that, when adenosine concentrations

peak, an irresistable urge for sleep will take hold. That's assuming you have a stable

circadian rhythm and you're not experiencing jet lag. The peak, for most people, comes after

being awake for about 12 to 16 hours. However, you can artificially mute the sleep pressure

of adenosine by using a chemical that makes you feel more alert and awake: caffeine.

Caffeine works by successfully latching onto adenosine receptors in the brain.

By hijacking these receptors, caffeine blocks the sleepiness signal. So it actually tricks

you into feeling alert and awake, despite the high levels of adenosine that would otherwise

seduce you to sleep. If you try to stay awake by drinking coffee, you should be prepared

for nasty consequence when your body finally removes caffeine from your system.

That phenomenon is known as a caffeine crash. We now understand why this happens.

For the entire time that caffeine is in your system, adenosine, the very sleepiness chemical

caffeine blocks, continues to build up regardless. Once your liver dismantles that barricade of caffeine,

you're hit with the sleepiness you should have experienced hours ago.

But you also get hit by all the extra adenosine that was building in the hours in between,

impatiently waiting for caffeine to leave. When this happens you are hit by a forceful sleep pressure.

Unless you consume even more caffeine to push back against the weight of adenosine you are

going to find it very, very difficult to stay awake. This is what happened to Mike when he

attempted his all-nighter.

When his body metabolized all the caffeine he had consumed, he was hit by that infamous

caffeine crash.

That's why he fell asleep after being awake for 26 hours.

So much sleep pressure had accumulated and he was hit by it all at once. By now you probably

understand that if you consume caffeine before bed, it will negatively impact your ability

to fall asleep.

You want that sleep pressure to make you feel sleepy in the evening after all. What's problematic

though is caffeine's persistence in your system.

It has a half-life of around 5 to 8 hours, which means that half of the caffeine you

consume will still remain in your system after 5-8 hours. Since you want to feel sleepy in

the evening and actually be able to fall asleep, it's recommended that you don't consume anything

caffeinated 8 hours before bed. For Mike, that would mean no more coffee after 2pm, since

he wants to sleep at 10pm.But Mike is also using coffee to function properly. He's extremely

tired during the day and can't think straight, without it. That's because he doesn't give

his body a chance to remove all the adenosine from his system. After approximately 8 hours

of quality sleep, the brain degrades and removes the adenosine load. But if you're like Mike

and you routinely get only 6 hours of sleep per night, some adenosine will remain in your

system from the previous day and you'll wake up already tired. This means that if you're

not getting both the quality and quantity of sleep on a regular basis, the adenosine

doesn't get fully cleared out and actually keeps building on itself.

Keep this up long enough, and the result is chronic tiredness and fatigue. This is also

why Mike needs to drink more and more coffee every single day. Caffeine masks all the sleep

pressure building up, and is used to compete with all the adenosine that's accumulating. So

if you're like Mike and need to use coffee to even function, it's a clear sign you're

not getting enough quality sleep. If you wake up in the morning and you could easily fall

back asleep, then actually getting more sleep should be your top priority.

It doesn't mean you're lazy, it means your body needs it. So those two factors determine

when you feel tired.

The 24 hour internal clock and sleep pressure.

Since this was quite a long video, here's a recap about what Mike should do and what

you can do as well to manipulate your sleep schedule to your desires.

So the first thing is to avoid an all-nighter.

Sleep depriving yourself by staying up all night, is one of the worst things you can

do for your health, even if the end goal is a healthy sleep schedule.

Second, move not just your sleep schedule, but also your entire daily routine.

Anything that is consistently repeating in your day, can be used as a cue for your circadian rhythm.

Third, get sunlight first thing in the morning.

Light is the primary signal that lets your body know it's time to wake up.

By exposing yourself to sunlight you set your daily tempo.

Fourth, avoid artificial light at night.

Lights that are too bright will confuse your body about what time it is, plus your melatonin

and cortisol production will get messed up.

Especially try to avoid any kind of screen time in the evening.

Fifth, don't consume caffeine at least 8 hours before bed.

Caffeine isn't found just in coffee, it's also prevalent in different teas, dark chocolate,

fat loss pills and even ice cream.

In the evening you want the sleep pressure from adenosine to seduce you to sleep.

Sixth, and last.

Get enough sleep.

If you're not getting enough quality and quantity of sleep, your body won't be able to form

a normal rhythm.

I highly recommend you sleep without an alarm clock.

This way your body will actually get the sleep it requires and you will allow your brain

to clear out all the adenosine that's accumulated.

This is it for this video.

If you found the information in the video useful, feel free to hit that like button.

I've also set up a buymeacoffee page, where you can buy me a coffee, so I can get caffeinated

and push through all that adenosine, to make more free videos for you guys.

As always, thanks for watching and I hope your sleep schedule will be better than yesterday.