It’s no secret that many of us tend to turn nocturnal in Ramadan, especially during the hot summer months. This tends to happen even for those who are not fasting, simply because the whole country seems to run by a different clock. 

A study published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences demonstrated that bedtime and the time of rising were delayed in Muslims during Ramadan. Aside from timings, energy levels also become something of a common complaint among many people; but it’s not just when you sleep that affects energy, but what you eat as well. Avoiding foods high in carbohydrates is an important way to avoid the sugar slump that tends to come after eating.

One of the ways to increase the likelihood of a sound sleep is through decreasing exposure to unnatural light during the evenings. This includes spending too long on your phone or laptop. Getting enough hours in a consolidated block of sleep, and soaking up some actual sunlight also helps improve sleep patterns. Eating a balanced diet during this time is also especially important.

Because of the dramatic shift in eating rhythms, and the increase of caloric intake after dark, cortisol and insulin levels increase during the evenings. Cortisol is important because it regulates energy levels, and is often released during stressful situations. However, it also increases a penchant for craving high-calorie foods. 

Another aspect under threat during Ramadan is the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This is partly due to food deprivation, which research has shown tends to lessen our REM sleep. Why is REM sleep so essential to us? This specific kind of sleep helps us with the preservation of certain types of memories, specifically procedural, emotional and spatial memory.

In other words, a lot of our bodies’ natural rhythms are disrupted during this month, but regulation isn’t impossible. Keep in mind that fasting actually boosts the body’s immune system, but to ensure its momentum, getting in those hours of sleep is as important as exercising and eating well.

 Photo Credit: zawaj.com