A sleepless night<\/strong> often does not end with the morning alarm. The next day, it can be harder to concentrate, easier to feel tense or exhausted, and even ordinary pain may feel more intrusive. When this state continues, trouble falling asleep, a lower mood, and physical discomfort can begin to reinforce one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers at the University of Missouri<\/a> examined precisely these connections by analyzing the everyday functioning of both people with insomnia and people who slept well. At the center of their interest was the regularity of the day<\/strong>: similar times for waking up, eating, being active, interacting with other people, and going to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As expected, participants with insomnia reported pain and depressive symptoms more often. At the same time, regardless of sleep quality, people who described their day as more regular reported lower levels of pain<\/strong> and fewer depressive symptoms. This pattern appeared both among participants with insomnia<\/a> and among those who slept well. The study was observational, however, so it points to a link between daily regularity and well-being. It does not prove that one directly causes the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The researchers connect this relationship with the circadian rhythm<\/strong> \u2014 the internal system according to which the human body functions. It measures cycles lasting roughly 24 hours and influences sleep, wakefulness, body temperature, hormone release, appetite, and mood, among other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Light is the most important signal for this system, but the body also uses information from everyday behavior<\/strong>. The timing of the first meal, physical activity, the start of work or study, meetings with other people, and evening rest can all matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we consistently wake up, eat, work or study, interact with others, and go to sleep at similar times, these time cues help synchronize our internal biological clocks,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n explains Eunjin Tracy, a co-author of the study from the University of Missouri.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe body needs points of reference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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