Our daily Highs and Lows

Stories are told of people committing costly errors because they acted on crucial matters when they were not in a keen state of awareness necessary for making wise, thoughtful decisions. The same is thought to be the reason why success seems eternally elusive to some people. Valued jobs have been lost, brilliant opportunities wasted, precious relationships ruined by irresponsible moves and careless words.

I recently almost had a falling out with a friend who was organizing a press conference. She was so disappointed when I did not show up on her event, stressing that I assured her I would come. I made that promise, she said, when we met one mid-afternoon the week before.

I had no recollection whatsoever of such promise. We met over merienda, all right; that was the only thing I could recall. But, looking back, I realized this was the time when I was rushing preparations for a TV shoot and didn't have enough sleep for several nights.

That slip could have cost me a precious friendship. Good that my friend was open-minded enough to understand. I learned a valuable lesson.

Even certain everyday undertakings are so important that they necessitate careful study and comprehension before being acted out. To do this, it will help a lot for us to examine and understand our own selves, as well.  

The human person normally spends all days of his lifetime in a cycle of two main periods: sleep and wakefulness. This repetitive sequence is regulated by an amazingly precise biological clock that also synchronizes the vast array of biological processes taking place in the body. At designated times during the day, certain internal chemical events happen, prompting the body to either doze off or rouse up to a state of peak alertness, moments for potentially superior performance.

Dr. William Dement, a pioneering researcher on the effects of sleep-deprivation on human behavior, reported of a striking example of the human biological clock at work. It was during a visit with his daughter, who was then a university student. At first, the girl was almost alarmingly droopy and seemed totally unenthusiastic of her father's visit.

In their short introductory conversation, the Dement's daughter had mentioned that she had been sleeping late due to several school projects she was working on. It was past 3 o'clock that afternoon and Dr. Dement had to catch the train back home in a few hours. He asked his daughter for a walk, so they could talk. In the course of 15 to 20 minutes, the girl eventually transformed into the bubbly, smiling and warm person that she truly was.

The marvelous change in the girl's behavior could have been due to biological-clock alerting. Perhaps more than her actual need for sleep at the time, her alertness level could have been in its natural lowest minutes before and was only beginning to build up again at the time of her father's arrival.

Even chronically sleep-deprived people momentarily perk up during their biological peak periods. This often tricks many into thinking that they have already recovered from the day's toll or have fully settled off their previous lack of sleep. If they are not careful enough, it could have serious implications on their health. This peak period is just temporary and should not be mistaken for the true condition of the body.

Experts theorize that the human biological clock can be influenced by the brain, citing as example that a mere desire of getting up at a particular time is often enough to awaken the person at the right moment. This is the reason why people often wake up shortly before their alarm clocks go off. And this, experts say, suggests a possibility that the times of occurrence of a person's daily high periods may also be modified according to the person's wishes.

Generally, people experience two peak times of alertness daily - at about 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. The hours immediately before and after these times are about as bright. Alertness wanes to its lowest point at around 3 p.m., after which it begins to pick up again. This explains why those who have worked hard all day will often start to feel more alert at a certain time in the evening, no matter how much more time of rest they actually need to compensate their exhaustion.

As earlier mentioned, even a typically tired or sleep-deprived person still responds correspondingly to peak-time alerting by his biological clock. Tired feelings are often suspended during these morning and evening periods of physical and mental arousal. But, again, these periods are transitory, and the heavy load of fatigue will recur until the person finally offsets the exact amount of rest he owes himself.

Still, the short phases of peak alertness can be used to great advantage. We only need to time our crucial undertakings during these high quality moments. Tremendous loss and damage could be avoided and success much easier attained, if we fully understand the workings of our biological clock; and, therefore, know the right time to tackle delicate issues or embark on crucial tasks. 

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