November - great time to calm down and recover?

Here it is, November...
Many, including myself, seem to consider November as a month that could easily be removed from the calendar.

But what if nature is providing us November to slow down and recharge?

Nature is slowing down, what if we do the same?

My family and I went to our summer cottage to get it ready for the winter. I found myself repeating several times that nature seems to already shifted into rest mode. It was so very quiet; not a single bird singing, leaves in the trees didn't move at all and the lake was totally calm. The atmosphere was close to ghostly silent.  

I had packed with me a book by sleep doctor Henri Tuomilehto, "Nukkumisen taito". A book I highly recommend to anyone interested in sleep and how to take care of it! In his book, he emphasizes the importance of regulating alertness as one of the key elements for better sleep. Our alertness should gradually decrease towards bedtime in order to sleep well.

At our cottage, we enjoyed the live fire in our fireplace, I light a few more candles, and my husband set up a campfire next to the beach. Suddenly, the surrounding peace seemed to grip us. I felt incredibly relaxed, and I could almost feel how the stream of thoughts in my head slowed down.

Our brains and our inner clock

I admit, I've become quite "obsessed" with the fascinating world of our brains. While working as an occupational health doctor, I've been reading a lot of books and research of this most incredible (at least in my opinion!) system in the universe.

Humankind have lived as hunters and gatherers for almost 250,000 years. This current digital age has last for just over 20 years. So it's no surprise that our brains haven't kept up with development, and according to brain researchers, we still have very old brains. The brain's structural blueprints are still roughly from the time when our ancestors roamed the savanna and lived in caves. Even though we live in a 24/7 digital age today, our brains still operate as they did thousands of years ago.

We have an internal clock in our brains that runs in about 90-minute cycles. This clock regulates, among other things, our bodily systems so that, for example, at night, our digestive and urinary systems are in a resting state, whether we're awake or not. This internal clock system is largely regulated by the light-dark rhythm.

A high quality, restorative sleep is essential to our recovery. To keep up with our internal clock and ensure good night sleep, it would be helpful if the amount of light and excessive activity gradually decreases as bedtime approaches. At the very least, we shouldn't be feeding our brains and alertness with activities that overly stimulate us, like working with a laptop late at night.

But have you ever considered that perhaps at early days nature used to take care of this for us, making sure we "had to" calm down and recharge when it got dark? Considering human history, electricity and electric lights haven't been around for long, not to mention cell phones and computers. And we managed just fine back then.

Recovery like the old days, could we do it today?

A few years ago, we participated in the "Lantern Night" at the Turku Handicrafts Museum in Luostarinmäki. We walked through the museum area in total darkness, holding storm lanterns, and listened the guide telling us about life back then.

Usable light bulbs weren't introduced until 1879. Before World War II (before the 1940s), almost half of the rural households in Finland were completely without electricity. Before that, everywhere in the world, fire was the source of light. During the dark hours, candles and lanterns were lighted, and people took it easy.

In November, after a busy summer and autumn filled with agricultural tasks, people used to rest before the Christmas season started. 

Would that still be possible for modern humans? What if we thought about November like this: How wonderful it is to slow down, go to bed early, and not worry if we don't do too much in the evening? We could light candles and relax with a good book or some music. We could also practice skill that is quite hard these days, i.e. doing nothing, and recharge for the busy days before Christmas.

According to Firstbeat, a company providing equipment to measure heart rate variability, the time before Christmas is the most stressful time for Finns, so it would be good if our "batteries" were well-charged for that. :)

As the lights turn off, our own alertness slows down

Why is it good to slow down?

Adequate recovery plays a key role in preventing and managing harmful stress. The stress response is vital for us to handle tough situations. The problem with stress is when we don't recover from it and it stays "on." Warning signs of harmful stress begin to appear; sleep is getting disturbed or fragmented, the stomach may hurt, or you suffer from headache, or a couple of days off from work is not enough for recovery. A good test for your own alertness is to try doing absolutely nothing, without your phone, laptop, TV, or a book. For many people, doing nothing can be really hard.

Prolonged harmful stress drives a person into a constant state of readiness. Like in the caveman world; we're ready to fight or flee, which is bad for our health, both physical and mental. The list of negative health effects caused by prolonged, harmful stress is long. Here are a few examples of its impact on health: blood pressure rises, immunity weakens, stomach problems arise, stress hormone cortisol can disrupt other hormonal functions, weight increases, muscles ache.

Psychological symptoms, in addition to sleep issues, include reduced capability to concentrate and to remember, as well as irritability. When people come to see an occupational health doctor, prolonged stress has often already progressed to burnout, anxiety, or depression. But luckily, many of the symptoms of stress can be healed once the balance between stress and recovery is restored.

Let’s remember to recover, in November and beyond

What if we spent the rest of November like farmers in the past?

After work, slower pulse exercise, and in the evening, calming down with a good book, handicrafts, music, or other relaxing activities? We could dim the lights or light candles, spend time with loved ones and enjoy a light evening snack before going to bed, and sleep well.

What if we turned the darkness of the evenings into something positive and restorative?

We loved it, would you try it too :)

Have a lovely November!
Yours Anna-Mari