JWM - Volume 2, Issue 2 - (Page 43)

well - being The Rhythm of Life hundred years ago, people tended to wake with the sun and go to bed when night fell. today, alarm clocks wake us before sunrise; televisions, tablets and texting keep us up long past sunset and few of us get a chance to soak up sunlight during the day. all this time spent awake and engaged can disrupt our natural schedule, the circadian rhythm—our universal human body clock. at the biological level, our bodies are preprogrammed to perform particular tasks at particular times: we’re wired to sleep a certain number of hours per night, be active in the morning and wind down as the sun sets. and the cue to perform these functions is, essentially, light. FolloW thE lIGht exposure to light wakes us up and gets us going in the morning, just as darkness is the body’s prompt to rest and repair. Darkness triggers the production of hormones such as melatonin that not only aid sleep, but also help maintain immune-system function. when we interrupt our body’s natural cycle by waking up before dawn or being exposed to the glowing light of electronics at night, we’re not only left feeling sleepy, we’re also putting ourselves at greater risk for a variety of health concerns. in studies conducted over the past several years, scientists have found that increased exposure to light at night Circadian Rhythms 0 Fit on the Road A Getting back in touch with your body’s natural schedule can be the source of a range of benefits, from greater productivity to better health. correlates to higher cancer rates, particularly for those cancers like breast or prostate that require hormones to grow. light pollution has also been linked to mood disorders and even to obesity and diabetes. by contrast, joan roberts, a researcher at Fordham University, has found that exposure to natural light during the day helps boost the immune system. in the course of studying seasonal affective disorder (SaD), roberts began to wonder if lack of sunlight might cause people with winter blues to have depressed immune systems as well. She treated a group of SaD patients as well as a control group with light therapy and discovered that everyone’s immune system was bolstered by the presence of light. researcher Francois lévi discovered that because different immune system functions happen at different times of the day, certain functions are improved by natural light while others are improved by a good shot of nighttime darkness. ExposurE to light gEts us going, just as darknEss is a body’s prompt to rEst. GoING WIth thE FloW getting back on a natural rhythm is easier than you think. no need to give up your modern lifestyle; simply follow the suggestions on the next page and you’re likely to feel more rested, happier and healthier in no time. photo credit photo credit photo credit J WM MAGAZINE 43 j w m a r r i o t t. c o m http://www.JWMARRIOTT.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JWM - Volume 2, Issue 2

JWM - Spring 2012
Table of Contents
Contributors
JW Experts
Editor’s Letter
Distinctive Products, People, Ideas & Style
Well-Being
Food + Drink
Arts
The Portal
The Wild West
A Seat at the Table
Brand New
The Lady of Shanghai
JW Experience
My Passion

JWM - Volume 2, Issue 2