Psychologists and psychiatrists have long known that three brain chemicals- serotonin, norepinephrine and histamine- are involved in sleeping and walking. These chemicals dwindle when people sleep and spike as people wake up.
Aresent study conducted at the University of Toronto has found that each of these chemicals ( called neurotransmitters) playsa a distinct role. The ebb and flow of serotonin and norepinephrine affect the muscle tone, keeping the body still at night, while histamine controls arousal.
These findings could lead to new treatments for sleep disorders and drugs that enhance wakefulness. They might also shed light on the familier sleep- inducing effects of cold and allergy medications that contain antihistamines. During wakefulness, levels of histamine, norepinephrine and serotonin remain high.
In deep sleep, when dreams are most vivid, their levels go down. People who have sleep disorders like sleep walking or acting out dreams have a reverse pattern- that they are losing consciousness without losing the muscle tone. Insomniacs (people who find difficult to fall asleep at night) are thought to have excess of histamines. A drug which can suppress these histamines can be used to treat these people effectively with minimum side effects. This will open up a new avenue of potential drugs targeted at the histamine system.
The pre- bedtime routine is the key of a successful bedtime routine. People who find difficult to sleep at night, must cool down by switching off the TV, Internet and the phone. When preparing to sleep you must get in to a dark, comfortable safe place that is dedicated for sleep.
Consistent bed times and wake-up times is also another majopr factor for a good sleep. Late meals, smoking and caffine, even if taken in the late afternooncan effect you at the sleeping time.
Generally, exercise will enhance sleep, especially if done after school or work, but it needs to be finished at least three hours before the sleep time. Unfortunately the bodies and sleep patterns of teenagers are programmed on a different clock. They are programmed to go to bed late and get up late. This is called delayed sleep phase syndrome.
Teenagers are not sleepy till midnight but they are very sleepy at 6 or 7 a. m. If your teenager is a night owl, that is a completely normal teen. Teenagers are wired to have a different sleep cycle than adults or younger children. It is a biological reality that they want go to bed later and sleep later.