Why should I follow a Routine amid lockdown?

An unusual problem has given us a sole solution to prevent it from attacking us. This lockdown which is very uncommon for us till last month, has been now a safe friend during these tough times. Apart from the problems that the country is facing, lockdown has actually given us an opportunity to be with our family. But it is the same time that gives us some extra freedom from those usual work timings, college studies and other daily schedules.

Though it feels very unwilling to stick to a routine during these times, it is highly essential, to keep our health intact. In case, anyone is experiencing emotional issues like feeling stressed, worried, anxious, or depressed our mental health experts are always at the click of a button. Online counseling helps you connect with the most experienced professionals who are empathetic, non-judgmental and friendly.

Why Should I follow a Routine?

First of all, let’s focus on what a routine is meant to be. Anything we do in a sequential way in our daily life can be understood as a routine. Like, the time of waking up, completing our daily tasks, grooming ourselves, having food on time and sleeping on time etc., can be together called as daily routines.

Biological Clocks

Ever heard about Biological clocks? Biological clocks are our innate timing devices which are composed of specific molecules that interact in cells of every tissue and organ, throughout the body. There is a master clock called as Suprachiasmatic nucleus aka SCN formed with a group of 20,000 neurons in the hypothalamus of the brain that coordinates with all the other biological clocks in our body, keeping them in sync. Biological clocks produce a 24-hour cycle called circadian rhythms and regulate their
timings.

Circadian rhythms produced by biological clocks are the physical, mental and behavioral changes in an organism that follow a daily cycle. Natural factors within the body produce circadian rhythms and they can influence our sleep-wake cycles, digestion capacity, eating habits, metabolism, release of hormones, temperature and other functions in our body. Disturbed circadian rhythms affect our biological clocks. The circadian rhythms are mostly influenced by daylight which turns on and off the genes that control the molecular structure of biological clocks.

What this has to do with your Routine?

As our biological clocks are sensitive to light exposure, as the daylight reduces and night occurs, the sleep hormone named Melatonin is released into the body to put us to sleep. Our exposure to indoor lights, light from smart phones, television sets, and our computer screens can apparently interfere with melatonin production and disturb our sleep cycle.

It is true that changes in our biological clock occur as the person ages. The sleep timings of an infant are 16-18 hours while the sleep timings of an adult are around 8-9 hours in general. As per science, there is no way you can make up for lost sleep. Hence, maintain good-quality sleep during night. If you are really craving an afternoon nap, limit it to 1-2 hours.

One might doubt if sleep disturbance is really a countable problem. But as the sleep gets affected, your hormones, digestive system and immune system will also get affected. To make it even worse, disturbance in circadian rhythm increases the risk of cancer, obesity, heart diseases, high blood pressure following anxiety and depression that are naturally aided by drug abuse.

Having a healthy circadian rhythm helps your body in many ways. It is during this lockdown that you should take special care about maintaining your biological clocks. Hence, sticking to a routine or a regular schedule should be one of your top priorities.

Do your emotional problems keep you away from being active and sticking to your routine? Are you getting weaker emotionally? In Such cases, opting for an online counseling session will help you better, according to the experts. Wellness Hub offers online counseling from experienced professionals to provide you holistic wellness.