Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini joined the playoff-clinching celebration
Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini and his family joined the team in Milwaukee for Sunday’s playoff-clinching celebration.
Wake up, sleepy heads.
A Cincinnati sleep expert is here to help you survive this week, which is filled with late-night Cincinnati sports games.
The week kicked off with the Bengals’ ugly primetime appearance Sept. 29. Next, the Cincinnati Reds will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in high-profile playoff games Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 that start after 9 p.m. ET. If the teams each win a game, then another late-night matchup will occur Oct. 2.
Staying up late to watch the games could potentially disrupt your circadian rhythm, the body’s natural, roughly 24-hour clock. This can lead to insomnia, messing with your hormones, and, in turn, daytime sleepiness.
The Enquirer spoke to Dr. Bashar Brijawi, a sleep medicine provider at Mercy Health, to identify how you can cheer on the Redlegs without totally messing up your sleep schedule.
Wake up at the same time
Even if you go to sleep later than usual because of the games, wake up at your normal time. The wake-up time is “the most important” factor for our sleep, Brijawi said, even more so than the time you go to sleep. Keeping a consistent wake-up time is essential for ensuring the secretion of sleep-impacting hormones, like cortisol and melatonin, isn’t delayed.
Avoid naps in the afternoon
Avoid taking naps, especially in the afternoon. Naps can decrease your sleep drive at night and cause insomnia, Brijawi said. If you’re able to take a nap before noon, however, your nighttime sleeping shouldn’t be affected, he said. Taking a nap is also better than sleeping in an extra hour or two, he said.
Know what works for you
“Everyone is different,” Brijawi said. Some people have fragile circadian clocks that shift forward or backward very quickly. Others can compensate for a poor night’s sleep without disrupting their biological clocks. If you’re thinking you’ll sleep in this weekend, Brijawi said that’s fine if you’ve done this before and didn’t have insomnia later on. “But if you’ve done it, and you then have difficulty falling asleep at night,” he said, “I would avoid it.”