Trouble waking in the morning may be a sign of a delayed circadian rhythm.
If you lie awake in bed for an extended period of time before you are able to fall asleep, then you may not be able to get sufficient duration of sleep throughout the night. As a result, you struggle to wake up in the morning.
Re-timing your circadian rhythm to an earlier time (falling asleep earlier) can be achieved through the use of green light. Green light has been shown in university trials to be the most effective wavelength in re-timing the circadian clock.
Re-Timer has taken the latest knowledge from the field of sleep science and applied this into a wearable light therapy technology. Re-Timer, when worn for 30 minutes in the morning for 4 days may help you advance your body clock to an earlier time. This increases duration of sleep because it allows you to fall asleep earlier.
Re-Timer comes with a 30 day money back guarantee to all customers.
The information contained on this website is not intended to be used as medical information or as a substitute for your own health professional’s advice. As a matter of good practice we recommend you seek the advice of your health professional before selecting a light device.
For further information about delayed sleep phase disorder:
Research indicates that 1 in 10 poor sleepers can blame a mis-timed circadian rhythm for their woes. The circadian rhythm is responsible for setting the time you fall asleep and time you wake.
However, lifestyle factors can interfere with your circadian rhythm resulting in a sleep pattern timed too late or too early to provide you with a full night’s rest (not being able to sleep). Re-Timer has been shown through university research to re-time your circadian rhythm to provide a full night’s sleep.
Diagnosing a circadian rhythm condition is difficult given there can literally be 100 reasons why you may not be getting a full nights rest. But there is a 1 in 10 chance your inadequate sleep is explained by your circadian rhythm.
The best option is to visit your health professional and seek their opinion. Seeking professional advice is something we always recommend as it is best practice for any health concern. If you choose to purchase a Re-Timer before visiting your health professional, we do provide a 30 day money back guarantee for peace of mind. Please ensure you read the terms of use before purchase.
The information contained on this website is not intended to be used as medical information or as a substitute for your own health professional’s advice. As a matter of good practice we recommend you seek the advice of your health professional before selecting a light device.
Nearly half of American adults are regularly sleep deprived, according to a Gallup poll that has been tracking people’s sleep habits for decades.
We are sleeping less than we did in the 1940s and there are no signs that the amount of sleep we get is about to rise.
The effects of sleep deprivation are well documented and include: inability to focus, memory loss, obesity, vulnerability to illness, and, more seriously, increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.
So what can we do about sleep deprivation before it becomes a public health threat?
If you have difficulty falling asleep or waking too early, Re-Timer can be used to adjust your body clock. Re-Timer is a natural solution which uses light therapy to change when you sleep and wake.
Re-Timer is designed to shift your sleep schedule and adjust your circadian rhythm (your body’s internal clock). If you are feeling sleep deprived because of jet lag, shift work or because your body clock is disrupted, Re-Timer can help.
Flinders University research has shown after one week of morning use (50 minutes each morning) the average sleep duration of participations increased by 42 minutes.
Shelley Rosen, a Re-Timer customer said “after a lifetime of never sleeping before midnight I am now able to manage my sleep debt. I use my Re-Timer every workday morning to ensure my sleep hours increase over the working week.”
Our success stories explain the best time to use Re-Timer for different situations and enable you work out whether Re-Timer is right for you.
Image credit: Medimoon
by Laura Falls on 27 Oct 2014
The light levels that older adults are exposed to are too low (even during the day time), due to their mainly indoor lifestyles.
Light exposure is important to regulate sleep and the lack of bright light exposure is becoming a health and well-being issue for many older people. Bright light is the most important external regulator for your circadian rhythm (your body’s internal clock).
“Daily bright light exposure helps to maintain appropriate timing of the circadian rhythm which is important for maintaining a good nocturnal sleep and effective daytime functioning”, says Professor Leon Lack, a world-renowned sleep psychologist.
As people age, their circadian rhythm can become less synchronised with the day/night cycle, resulting in less consistent sleep-wake periods and in some cases an advanced or early timed body clock. Older adults with an advanced body clock feel tired in the early evening and then wake up in the early hours of the morning.
“Research has found shorter wavelengths of light (blue/green) to be the most effective at resetting the circadian rhythm”, says Professor Lack.
Green light is considered to be a superior treatment in older populations. There have been some concerns about blue light for potential retinal effects with lengthy exposure. Furthermore, our eyes have a lens which becomes cloudy and yellows as we age and this clouding restricts blue light entering the eye.
Re-Timer offers a portable solution for those who do not get enough light. The green light is 100% UV-free and 30 minutes of light therapy can maintain appropriate timing of the circadian rhythm, helping to regulate sleep patterns and provide older adults the light they need.
by Laura Falls on 13 Nov 2014
“Re-Timer Gave My Wife Back Her Life!” was the title of an email we received last week so I thought I would share it with you. Here it is… word for word.
Hi Laura,
I appreciate the opportunity to thank you and everyone at Re-Timer for creating such a wonderful product.
My wife of 34 years has struggled with regular sleep for many years; when our children were young it was because of our busy lifestyle, but now that the kids are grown and gone her problem has been hormone changes related to menopause.
When she would go to bed she would fall asleep quickly but then awake at 2-3 AM and was unable to fall back asleep until 6-7 AM.
Her energy level and clarity of thought was slipping and it was a huge concern to the both of us.
I had read about Re-Timer before and wondered if it could possibly help her change her sleep pattern to get a full nights’ sleep. Having tried nearly everything else (even sleeping pills, which left her groggy all day) we decided to give Re-Timer a try. Wow!!
After just a few nights’ use, she began to sleep more restfully and for a longer period of time. After just about a week she was falling asleep about 11 PM and sleeping until 7 AM, it was awesome!!
Now, when she feels herself slipping back into those old sleep patterns, she will use her Re-Timer for a night or two and get back on track to a great nights’ sleep.
Many thanks to you and everyone at Re-Timer for your amazing product! My wife now has the energy and clarity of thought that she had before her sleep problems began. We’re both a lot happier and we’re able to resume our active lifestyle and do more together.
Best regards,
Randy Lewis
Greenacres, WA
Thank you very much Randy for allowing us to share your story!
Image is for illustration purposes only.
by Laura Falls on 20 Jan 2015
Are you one of those people that find it hard to get to sleep? When you finally do drift off to sleep, does the alarm always seem to go off? Do you always wake up tired or find it particularly hard to get out of bed? Chances are your circadian rhythm could be delayed.
Your circadian rhythm is your body’s internal 24-hour clock. It influences the timing of all your sleeping and waking patterns, alertness, performance levels and even metabolism. Mis-timing of your circadian rhythm leads to poor sleep quality, insufficient sleep duration, sleepiness and fatigue, impaired overall well-being in family and social lives and decreased motor and cognitive performance.
If any of the above sounds like you, chances are you’re not receiving enough light in your life, particularly in the mornings.
Light plays a crucial role influencing our circadian rhythms. If you do not receive light at the proper times, your body clock can get out of sync with the rest of the world. When our eyes sense light, our brain receives a signal to be awake and nudges the circadian sleep period away from it. So morning bright light will help you wake up and gently nudge your body clock to an earlier time allowing you to fall asleep and wake up earlier getting more adequate sleep.
Here are four light related tips that can help you secure a good night’s sleep, and fight the winter blues:
1. Different kinds of light affect our body in different ways
Some coloured lights operate at a frequency that are better at re-timing the body clock. Standard interior lights are not strong enough to change the body’s circadian rhythm. Shorter wavelengths, colours such as blue and green light, are more effective at retiming the body clock. White light includes all colours, including red which is ineffective. UV-free blue/green light has been proven to be the safest and most effective light source to influence the sleep cycle.
2. Avoid certain lights when trying to go to sleep
Bright light in the evening can nudge your body clock later in time making it more difficult to fall asleep. Some devices such as mobile phones and tablets are sources of blue lights, which can delay the body clock, so avoid staring at them for too long before going to bed.
3. Seek light if you wake up feeling tired or lethargic
The same principle applies. If you wake up feeling tired or it takes you a long time to feel alert after waking up, it may be because your body is still in the sleep phase of the circadian rhythm. Exposure to some lights in the morning can help you wake up and become more alert after you wake up.
4. Try light therapy
Light therapy could be the solution for you. Light therapy involves scheduling the use of a wearable light-emitting device into your daily routine to help you re-time your circadian rhythms to suit your sleep cycle or lifestyle.
Written by Prof. Leon Lack, world renowned sleep psychologist.
We all know how frustrating it is when you struggle to fall asleep at night because you’re still thinking about work, or when you wake up during the night and can’t fall back asleep because your bed partner is snoring loudly. Distractions, whether it be in the bedroom environment or in our own brains, can make it very difficult to get a good night’s sleep. Having good sleep hygiene can help minimise these distractions.
Sleep hygiene is a variety of habits that promote sleep. Establishing and maintaining these healthy habits can make a real difference to your sleep. Here are five simple sleep hygiene tips that will help you get a better night’s rest:
1. Spend an appropriate amount of time in bed
We all have different sleep needs, largely dependent on our age. Ensure that you go to bed at the same time each night and spend enough time in bed to meet your sleep needs, without spending an excessive amount of time in bed. For example, if you need to sleep 8 hours per night, spending up to 8.5 hours in bed each night will ensure that you meet your sleep need and avoid excessive sleepiness during the day. If you spend too much time awake in bed, our bodies start to learn to associate the bedroom with wakefulness making it difficult to sleep when we want to. If you find that you’re struggling to get enough sleep at night but you’re allowing yourself enough time in bed to meet your needs, consult your healthcare professional.
2. Avoid stimulants before bed
Consuming stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine before bed can make it difficult for our bodies to unwind. Caffeine keeps us alert by blocking a substance called adenosine, a sleep-inducing chemical, from attaching to receptors in our brain. This means that caffeine stops us from getting increasingly sleepy, making it much more difficult to fall asleep at night. Similarly, consuming alcohol before bed might help you fall asleep quickly, but it can disrupt sleep later in the night, particularly REM sleep. A disrupted sleep means that you wake up feeling groggy and unrested.
3. Controlling light exposure
Bright light tells our body that we should be awake, and darkness tells our body that it is time for sleep. Too much exposure to bright light at night-time can have an alerting effect, preventing us from falling asleep. Exposure to light in the morning and limiting exposure at night can keep our internal body clocks in check, helping us fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning at the same times each day.
4. Establish a bedtime routine
These days, it can be difficult to find the time to relax before bed but doing so will help you fall asleep faster. Undergoing the same activities each night before bed can help your body and your brain recognise that it is time to go to sleep. Your routine could include activities like reading a book, having a shower or watching television. Taking the time to relax before bed will make it much more likely that you will fall asleep quickly when it’s time for bed.
5. Optimise your bedroom environment for sleep
Ensure your bedroom is relaxing and comfortable with minimal distractions. Sleeping on a supportive, comfortable bed can make a big difference. Keep the bedroom cool for optimal sleep. Minimise any bright lights or sounds, such as from your phone or other electronic devices. Use ear plugs to minimise disturbance from your snoring bed partner. If your environment is relaxing, you will find it easier to relax which will help you sleep.
Try implementing as many of these healthy habits as you can and feel the difference in your sleep quality. If you are concerned about your sleep, consult your healthcare professional.
By Hannah Scott
Hannah is a PhD (Research) Candidate from Flinders University
