The biological clock is the one that sets the rhythms of our body, both in sleep and in other fields such as food or body temperature.
Few things are more important than a good night’s sleep . How you rest one night will be the starting point the next day; a day when you are very tired is very likely not a good day, and vice versa. And it is that the moment of sleep is decisive for our health: while we sleep our body regenerates, recovers energy and prepares us for a new journey.
Sleep disorders are becoming very common. Our lifestyle and the high levels of stress to which we are frequently exposed cause poor sleep hygiene . And it is in our power to change it. Dr. Eduard Estivill and Dr. Carla Estivill have published The Tokei method (Plaza & Janés), a book in which they reel off this method, which is nothing more than a series of rules to live in tune with our biological clock and, therefore , to rest well.
Cover of “The Tokei method” – Plaza & Janés
“ There are more than 40 causes that make us sleep badly , some well known, such as coffee consumption. But the most important cause is the mismatch between the way we live our day and what our body and health really need ”, explains Dr. Estivill.
What is a biological clock?
The biological clock , a small group of cells that we have right in the middle of our brain, is essential to sleep well, as it is what controls our biological rhythms . These are the ones that control our health and have to be in line with our environment. Within these rhythms, we not only talk about when our body should sleep or be awake. Biological rhythms are also responsible, for example, for appetite, how we go to the bathroom or our body temperature. “This group of cells is governed by a genetic theme, that is, we cannot change it, but if there is no harmony between our life patterns and what our body marks us, we speak of a chronodisruption, which is synonymous with disease,” he says. the doctor.
There are also the circadian rhythms , which are the repetitive activities that we have in our body, for example being awake or asleep. “Circadian means about a day; they are rhythms that are repeated every 24 hours, so it is also, for example, the rhythm of appetite. Our whole body is full of clocks », explains the professional. External stimuli can destabilize the “clocks” of which we speak. Therefore, in periods of stress, emotional conflict situations, or bad meals, we can see how this has a negative impact on our biological clock and, consequently, causes us not to have good circadian rhythms, not only sleep and wakefulness, but all those that exist in our body.
To know if our biological clock is on point, Dr. Estivill comments that since “we cannot enter the center of the brain to know how it is,” we must look at what is happening to us on the outside. The doctor puts, again, the example of the clock: «If a clock does not work, we know it because the hands stop moving, not because we see the center of the device; in this case the hands are the different rhythms of our body ». He then comments that, for example, if we have an appetite or not, if we gain weight or not, if we sleep enough or not, or if our microbiota is correct or not are key to see if we have healthy rhythms or suffer a chronodisruption .
What is the “Tokei method”?
The book that Dr. Eduard Estivill and Dr. Carla Estivill have written is named The Tokei Method, which in Japanese means “The method of the clock.” “In ancient works or writings of Japanese culture, they already spoke of interior clocks that had to be in tune with the environment,” says Dr. Estivill. Chronobiology is the study of human beings and means that you have to keep this clock on time, to avoid a dysfunction. “The Tokei method is very basic rules that explain how to set this clock,” says the expert. He points out that, as much as the professionals propose a method, in the end the most important thing is what each of us does. «The doctor may tell you that you have to exercise, that you sunbathe and eat well, but then you can do it or not do it properly; the constancy of each one is essential ”, he says.
Focusing on what makes our sleep better or worse, one of the most important factors is melatonin , a substance that our body makes when there is no light. «What this substance does is inform our biological clock that, when we have it present in the blood, that is when we have to start sleeping. When the twilight light reaches our eyes, the brain understands that it must start manufacturing melatonin, “explains the doctor. Thus, it is essential that the production of melatonin works properly, and that we have enough melatonin to be able to sleep. For this, it is essential to sleep adapting to natural light cycles . Sleep when it is night, and wake up with the sun.
In order to keep these cycles in order, it is important to adopt healthy lifestyle habits . The main recommendation of the doctor is that we follow routines: get up and go to bed at the same time, do sports, even if it is minimal, eat at the same time and disconnect from digital devices at night. “All visual stimuli, such as cell phones, or television, have blue light, which what it does is stop the manufacture of melatonin”, indicates Eduard Estivill. Likewise, he leaves one last recommendation on physical exercise: it is important to practice it during the first hours of the day. “Playing sports generates endorphins, which in the morning will make us feel very active, but if we exercise later than six in the afternoon, it will make it difficult for us to sleep,” he concludes.
