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Have you ever wondered why you wake up every morning without needing an alarm? The secret lies in the "stress hormone".
An American neuroscientist has revealed that the hormone cortisol, often known for its association with stress, plays a key role in our waking up without the need for an alarm clock.
This came during an appearance by neuroscientist and Stanford University School of Medicine associate professor Andrew David Huberman on the January 5 episode of the "Modern Wisdom" podcast with Chris Williamson.
Have you ever wondered why you wake up every morning without needing an alarm? The secret lies in the "stress hormone".
The hormone cortisol, known for its association with stress, plays a key role in our waking up.
An American neuroscientist has revealed that the hormone cortisol, often known for its association with stress, plays a key role in our waking up without the need for an alarm clock.
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This came during an appearance by neuroscientist and Stanford University School of Medicine associate professor Andrew David Huberman on the January 5 episode of the "Modern Wisdom" podcast with Chris Williamson.
The hormone cortisol, known for its association with stress, plays a key role in our waking up.
Huberman explained that the real reason we wake up in the morning is due to what is known as the cortisol wake-up response. A few hours before going to sleep, the cortisol level is low, while the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin is at its highest, making us calm and ready for deep sleep.
Huberman added that the first four to five hours of sleep constitute deep or non-REM sleep, then cortisol levels gradually rise as we approach the final third of sleep, causing some people to wake up to use the restroom and then return to sleep. As the night progresses, and cortisol levels reach a certain threshold in the morning, we naturally wake up.
Huberman pointed out that cortisol levels are higher in the morning than during stressful situations earlier in the day, emphasizing that elevated morning cortisol is a sign of health. He added that there is a window of one to 90 minutes after waking during which the morning cortisol peak can be increased by up to 50% through exposure to bright light.
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