What happens in my brain when my alarm clock goes off?

Our circadian rhythms are designed to wake us up at the same time every day; but busy lifestyles keep us from getting enough sleep. Internist and sleep expert Carol Ash, DO, explains what happens when an alarm clock wakes us up.

Transcript

00:00

Sleep is an amazing thing.

00:06

You are designed to get up at the same time every day when the sun is getting up and to go

00:13

to bed at night at the same time, so that you get the rest that you need.

00:19

And that timing and amount is critical for your health. And most people know when they're not getting the right amount of sleep they feel tired,

00:27

but what they don't realize is that there's a second part to sleep. That's called the circadian rhythms of sleep.

00:34

And there's actually a master clock in your brain that keeps those rhythms set to the right time,

00:41

and controls how you feel all during wakefulness, and allows you to get to bed at night and get the sleep you need.

00:49

But most of us are so busy with our day. We tend to not keep a regular schedule. And we have a very erratic wake up times.

00:58

And during the week all the demands that we have, we create sleep debt. So between the erratic schedule and not getting the sleep

01:05

that you need, you're not often able to get up the same time every day. And that master clock in your brain

01:13

is just not set for wake up time. So we need an alarm clock to buzz us out of bed in the morning.

01:20

But the problem with that alarm clock is it's really not helping to reset that clock, so you can easily get up every morning.

01:28

So what are you to do? Well, the alarm clock is helpful. Noise certainly it's loud. That makes a racket. That will get you out of bed.

01:35

But you want to use all the senses you can to alert the brain and get that brain back on schedule

01:41

and get that master clock reset. So simply get an alarm clock with a light, so when you get up in the morning that

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exposes the brain to light and helps the brain not only from hearing, but now you have the sense of light

01:54

to awake in the brain. In addition to that, what are some smells that you might be able to invite into the awakening

02:02

moment? Maybe you can get a coffee pot with a timer that will set that coffee pot to start brewing your perfect cup

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just as you're waking up. And that smell of that coffee can alert the brain as well. So whatever it is that you can do to add those extra senses,

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take advantage of it. And if you find that you are able to keep the same wake up time every single morning, then

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that master clock will be set and your brain, body rhythms will help you get up in the morning.

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So you wouldn't even need the alarm clock, and you'd get up every day happy and ready to take on the world.