Camping – you either love it or loathe it. Depending on your point of view, spending nights under canvas is either a liberating adventure or an uncomfortable experience lacking in basic comforts. But those who believe that camping is good for the soul may be on to something. For new research suggests that camping for one week can reset your body clock, leading to better sleep patterns which in turn can improve emotional wellbeing.
The researchers claim that our natural body clocks become disrupted by artificial light and modern lifestyles meaning that we are often asleep when we should be awake and awake when we would benefit from sleep. However, just one week sleeping in the great outdoors, retunes our natural circadian rhythms as sleep patterns align with the rising and setting of the sun.
The study, which was carried out by researchers from the University of Colorado examined the sleep patterns of eight adults. The participants were first monitored as they continued their usual routines while being exposed to normal levels of daylight and artificial light. They then spent one week camping, with no access to artificial lights. During the experiment, the participants’ melatonin – the hormone which controls our wake and sleep patterns – was monitored. The researchers concluded that artificial lighting found in our modern environments was causing a delay of around two hours in the volunteers’ circadian clocks. This could explain why we often feel sluggish first thing in a morning when we should be bounding with energy after a night’s sleep.
Of course, most people would find it impractical to sleep outdoors all of the time but perhaps a week’s camping holiday could be more restorative than a week in a hotel.
For more information about healthy sleep patterns, visit: www.sleepcouncil.org.uk
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