Among all the other numerous benefits it offers, the grey nomad lifestyle may also deliver some of the best sleep of your life.
According to new research, ‘night owls’ who head for the open road may soon find that restless nights and waking up feeling exhausted are a thing of the past.
Apparently, exposure to the natural light of dawn and dusk helps synchronise campers’ internal body clocks, helping them to drop off more easily and to wake up feeling refreshed.
‘By increasing our exposure to sunlight and reducing our exposure to electrical lighting at night, we can turn our internal clock and sleep times back and likely make it easier to awaken and be alert in the morning,’ said researcher Kenneth Wright, of the University of Colorado. ‘What’s remarkable is how, when we’re exposed to natural sunlight, our clocks perfectly become in synch in less than a week to the solar day.’
The Americans scientists studied the sleeping habits of a group of ‘night owls when they took them camping in the wilderness. Though camp fires were allowed, all forms of artificial light – including torches – were banned, as were mobile phones.
After a week’s natural light-dark cycle, the campers found it easier to drift off to sleep and felt far more awake when they got up .Electrical lighting and gadgets such as televisions and iPads have apparently affected our internal circadian clocks, which tell our bodies when to prepare for sleep and when to prepare for wakefulness.
Do you sleep better when you are out in the open road? Comment below.
A bottle of Whisky helps me