Researchers say that camping can help those who are suffering from poor sleep or those who want to achieve better sleep overall.

A team from the University of Colorado, Boulder suggests that a weekend spent camping can have a significant impact, especially during winter. According to the lead author of the study, integrative physiology professor Kenneth Wright of the University of Colorado, Boulder, these studies suggest that the human internal clock can respond quickly to a natural light-dark cycle.

Wright explained that living in modern environments can delay our circadian timing. A late circadian rhythm is linked to many health problems but a weekend camping trip can effectively reset this.

The team carried out two studies during two different seasons to determine how effective camping is.

 

In the first study, researchers were able to study how a natural light shift can affect human biological rhythms. During the summer, the team asked nine participants to camp in the mountains for the weekend while the other five stayed at home. When the researchers monitored the campers, they found out that their melatonin levels shifted their circadian rhythm to 1.4 hours earlier and maintained a regular sleep schedule. The others who stayed indoors at home stayed up late and slept later.

During the winter, researchers asked five participants to go camping for a week near the solstice. After returning from this trip, scientists tested their melatonin levels every hour for 24 hours. The campers were also exposed to 13 times more daylight during a regular winter weekday environment. During camping, the five participants were able to sleep earlier and longer. Due to the lack of artificial light, their biological clock became in sync with the winter solstice, similar to animals in the wild.

Now, researchers recommend that after camping, those who want to maintain this circadian reset would be able to follow a regular sleep pattern by sleeping early.

For those who cannot go out for weekend camping, scientists advise to be exposed to more natural, bright light during daytime and shutting off smartphones, laptops and other devices a few hours before bedtime.

This new study was published in the journal, Current Biology.