We all have variations in our body clocks, which affect everything from appetite to mood and body temperature, as well as waking and sleeping times. Tackling both ends of the body clock, in the morning and evening, is key to changing sleep patterns, explains sleep physician Dr Keith Wong, of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney. "It's about gradually shifting that wake-up time, being exposed to morning light and then trying to make conditions right at the other end of the day," he says. "You want the morning light to hit the back of the retina," he says. In the evenings, avoid the bright lights and screens that can suppress melatonin and push the body clock back.

Source: Stuff September 27, 2019 22:41 UTC