There are many factors that intervene at bedtime in a placid way at night, and sleep problems affect many individuals for different reasons: work stress, relationship problems, poor sleep hygiene, etc., Due to the importance that sleeping correctly has for our lives it is not surprising that many investigations have been directed in this direction.

An example of this is a study that was interested in understanding why we open our eyes in the morning before the alarm clock rings . In this article we echo its conclusions.

Why we wake up before the alarm clock rings

Only a few days ago something happened to me that made me think. I went to bed very sleepy because the day had been so exhausting. The next day I had a meeting in the morning and I had to wake up early to go to the appointment. I thought I had set the mobile phone alarm as I do every night before going to bed, but the dream played a trick on me: I had set the time but had not given the option to turn on the alarm. Luckily, what could have been a problem wasn’t, because I woke up at the same time as usual without the alarm doing its job .

Why did this happen to me? Well, the answer lies with scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the United States, who have discovered a component that controls the biological clock and the sleep cycle in mice, and presumably humans.

An enzyme called JARID1a is present in the molecular mechanism that controls our sleep-wake state. This particle is known in the field of biology for its role in modifying histones, proteins that wrap DNA in a protective complex called chromatin. What was not known, and what we now know thanks to this team of researchers, is that it also initiates the daily process of awakening.

The researchers also found that deficiencies in this protein interrupt and cause irregular periods of sleep . The study was published last week in the journal Science .

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How this mechanism works

Researchers at the Salk Institute discovered that a protein called PERIOD (PER) is extremely important in the molecular mechanisms of sleep and wakefulness. The cells in our bodies use PER to sense the time of day , and tell us when and how to wake up.

At night, PER levels drop , which causes our blood pressure, heart rate, and mental activity to drop. But as we get closer to waking up and consequently to wakefulness, the enzyme called JARID1a works as an alarm that tells our body to start working for the new day ahead.

Another similar study

A similar study, conducted by the University of Lübeck in Germany, explored the effects of this enzyme. They had a group of subjects who had to wake up at 6 am and 9 am. The researchers lied to the participants, because those who thought they should wake up at 9 am did so at 6 am as well as the other group.

The scientists found that in those who had been correctly informed, stress hormones increased around 4:30 in the morning . However, the hormone levels of the 9 am group did not increase and woke up when the researchers forced them to do so.

The importance of good sleep hygiene

According to Luciano DiTacchio, a Salk Institute researcher who led the study with Satchidananda Panda, “these findings may be critical to possible future treatments for sleep problems.

However, these results can not only be useful for those people who have sleep problems and do not manage to sleep well, but are important to prevent sleep difficulties and to improve the quality of sleep. These results indicate that if we have good sleep hygiene, and follow a frequent sleep schedule, we have a greater chance that our body will activate itself before the alarm even sounds.

So if you’re one of those people who goes to bed at a different time each day and you realize you’re in class in the morning but you’re not there because your concentration isn’t showing, you’ve probably woken up before your body has adapted to the situation.

Tips to improve sleep hygiene

Experts say that in order to sleep well it is necessary to follow these principles that are essential for good sleep hygiene:

  • Take care of the environment so as not to interrupt the quality of sleep.
  • Follow a sleep ritual , and go to bed normally at the same time.
  • Watch the diet.
  • Avoid stimulants from mid-afternoon onwards.
  • Practice physical exercise , but not after 6 pm.
  • Don’t abuse your nap.
  • Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages before going to bed.
  • Don’t stare at screens for too long before you go to sleep.

You can read more about these recommendations in this article: “10 basic principles for good sleep hygiene”.