By Rawya El Gammal
When our cell phones run out of battery, we panic. We search desperately for a charger, worried about being cut off from the world, as though our survival depends on it. Yet when it comes to our own bodies, especially our need for sleep, we rarely show the same urgency. I have worked with many people who struggle with sleep, some wake at the same hour every night, others feel groggy and unrefreshed in the morning, some lie in bed panicking they won’t get enough before the alarm rings, and many never reach the deep rest their bodies need. Sleep is a discipline, and during the night the body does not want to be overloaded with food, stimulation, or activity. Night time is sacred, it is when we restore, repair, and prepare to thrive. Your body needs your attention at least as much as your phone, if not more.
Inside us, countless processes unfold every day without our awareness. Circadian rhythms, organ clocks, and hormonal cycles quietly keep time, and each of us has a biological chrono type that shapes when we feel most alert or most tired. These internal patterns are not one size fits all. When they fall out of balance, sleep becomes disrupted, and it often takes more than simple habit changes to recover. This is why quick fixes or generic advice should always be approached with caution. Your individuality matters.
Sleep is both longed for and resisted. Even though we know its importance, it is often pushed aside for socializing, late night scrolling, movies, or the chance to unwind. Excuses come easily, but the truth is that healthy sleep requires routine and commitment. Historically, sleep itself looked very different. Before electricity, people often slept in two phases. They would go to bed after sunset, wake around 11 p.m. for a couple of hours to pray, work, or keep watch, then return to sleep until dawn. That rhythm disappeared with the industrial age and artificial light.
Modern science reveals sleep in distinct stages. We begin with the lightest stage, drifting gradually into rest. This deepens into a phase where body temperature drops, the heart slows down, and muscles relax. From there we sink into delta sleep 45 minutes after nodding off, and it is the most restorative stage. In this state, breathing slows, blood pressure drops, metabolism decreases, and the brain flushes out toxins, repairing and resetting the body. Each cycle of these stages lasts between one and two hours. Throughout the night, we also enter dream sleep, or REM, when the body is still but the mind is active and this phase lengthens throughout the night. Most of our time, however, is spent in the quieter stages of non-REM sleep at the first stage of the night.
The first part of the night is the most critical. It contains the deepest rest and the activation of the glymphatic system, when cerebrospinal fluid washes away proteins and waste products that, if left behind, can contribute to neurodegenerative disease. Good sleep strengthens nearly every system. Metabolism stabilizes, appetite and hormones stabilize, muscles and tissues repair, pain and inflammation decrease, mood and cognition sharpen, and blood pressure, blood sugar, and stress hormones regulate. Without it, the body scrambles into survival mode, leaving us less resilient, more reactive, and far more vulnerable.
The rhythm of sleep and wakefulness is governed by biological clocks. The circadian rhythm, a 24-hour cycle, responds to light, darkness, food, movement, and social activity. A central clock in the brain responds to light near the eyes, while countless smaller clocks tick away inside our cells and organs. Genes and proteins also swing in rhythm, orchestrating these processes. Chrono types further shape these patterns: morning people peak early in the day, while evening types often delay, sometimes developing irregular eating habits and metabolic risks. Intermediate types shift a few hours later each day, which may be linked to poor blood sugar control and even higher mortality.
Nutrition and timing also play important roles. Chrono nutrition, a modern field echoing ancient traditions, studies how food aligns with biological time. During the day glucose is processed more efficiently, but tolerance drops at night. Melatonin rises around 8 p.m., deep sleep peaks around 1 a.m., and body temperature rises again in the afternoon. Disrupting these cycles with late night eating, snacking, or bright light exposure can lead to obesity, fatty liver, and metabolic syndrome. Children deprived of sleep often gain more fat, while teenagers eat more sugar and carbohydrates, raising insulin resistance and disrupting hormones.
Hormones themselves move to a precise schedule. Deepest sleep comes around 2 a.m., cortisol rises at dawn, insulin around the first meal, testosterone peaks in the morning, and alertness reaches its height mid morning. Later in the day, cardiovascular strength, muscle power, and lipid levels rise, body temperature peaks in the evening, immune activity strengthens, and melatonin begins to flow, guiding us back to rest.
Yet many of us interfere with these natural rhythms, often through caffeine. Depending on genetics, caffeine can linger for 12 to 20 hours. It competes with adenosine, the chemical that signals when it is time to sleep, weakening the body’s ability to rest. Most people consume it daily not as a pleasure but as fuel, and over time this undermines natural sleep drive.
When sleep quality falls, the consequences are immense. Fatigue, depression, stress dysregulation, anger, reliance on stimulants, alcohol misuse, cardiovascular strain, immune weakness, metabolic dysfunction, digestive issues, poor reflexes, and impaired decision making all follow. Sleep requirements shift across life. Toddlers may need up to 14 hours, dropping to around 10 in school years. Teenagers need 8 to 10 hours but naturally fall asleep later due to delayed melatonin release, a fact recognized in some countries that begin school later. Adults often struggle not because they want less sleep, but because their sleep drive changes with age as adenosine receptors decline.
Traditional Chinese Medicine offers another lens through its organ clock, which divides the day into two-hour cycles. Each organ is thought to dominate at its own time: the liver detoxifies between 1 and 3 a.m., often linked to anger; the lungs dominate between 3 and 5 a.m., associated with dreams and grief; the stomach governs breakfast hours; the spleen supports clear thinking mid-morning; the heart drives circulation at midday; the intestines, bladder, kidneys, and pericardium each take their turn as the day moves on. Waking at specific times may reflect imbalances in the corresponding organ. For example, waking at 3 a.m. may reflect grief or lung imbalance, while waking earlier may point to the liver. Nutrition plays a part too, as unstable blood sugar whether too high or too low can wake the body at night especially at 2-3am. Even a small balanced snack can sometimes restore sleep.
Poor sleep also disrupts weight, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and gut health. The gut microbiome, a living community within us, helps maintain circadian balance. When disrupted by processed foods, additives, or poor nutrient quality, both digestion and sleep suffer. Sunlight, darkness, fasting, and rest all help regulate gut bacteria, which in turn regulate melatonin, metabolism, and body temperature. A lifestyle that balances nutrition, sleep, and circadian rhythm not only restores gut health but strengthens the entire body.
It is time to change the conversation!
Rawya El Gammal is an Integrative Sports therapist, Rehabilitation, Menopause Health & Fitness Specialist, Lifestyle medicine, Sleep, Nutrition & Wellness
Sports & Complementary Therapy 