We are light beings, quite literally. Everything we are made from, consume, and interact with is all created from light. It is with this relationship that most all living things on this planet revolve around some sort of time schedule, or should I say light schedule, this helps set a format of operation allowing for the functioning of that organism to be more efficient and effective when it needs to be and shift into resting and recovery states when it is time to recuperate and recharge. When aligned properly this will dramatically help to benefit your health and wellbeing, and when misaligned over a long-term can lead to many ailments such as: greater susceptibility to obesity, diabetes, and mental health conditions. Misalignment even over the short-term can lead to things like: lack of energy, memory issues, digestive problems, poor body temperature regulation, improper and slow wound healing, etc… . It is an essential component of your health to become aware of and optimize for in order to express your most vital self.
What Is “Circadian Rhythm”
Our bodies, through millions of years of evolution, have evolved with the rhythms of dark and light. Through this time our bodies have developed an internal communication system that relays environmental information to all of our organs, cells, and bodily systems communicating what to do when. You can think of your circadian rhythm as your body's internal clock. This internal clock determines the timing of all the major functions in your body such as: the timing and release of our hormones, energy levels, digestion, among others. It is this adaptation to the daily, and seasonal, cycles of nature that allows our bodies and minds to function efficiently. The master regulator of this bodily clock system is the Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) this region in the brain is located in the hypothalumus and sits directly above the optic chiasm. It is intimately interconnected with our eyes and this is one of the main reasons light plays such a huge role in setting and mannaging our circadian rhythm.
Why Is It Important to Understand
Understanding how our circadian rhythm is a critical comonent to optimal health. Understanding our biological rhythms helps us better appreciate our body and our psychology. You are quite literally a different person at different times throughout each day, for example, in the morning our body is primed to relase more cortisol in order to get us out of bed and moving to start the day. This also comes with increased ability to focus and get sh*t done. The liberation of cortisol in the morning also sets the timer for melatonin to begin to release approximentaly 12-14 hours later. As the melatonin levels in our bodies begin to rise you become more sleepy and lathargic, this is setting you up for your night's sleep. When you are using this knowledge to work with your natural biological rhythms, instead of fighting against this natural cycle, it gives you the ability to achieve your health goals, create and produce your best work, and also have a little grace and understanding with yourself and your body.
What Impacts Our Circadian Rhythm
Our biology is picking up on thousands of different stimuli in the environment to work efficiently and effectivley to help keep us alive and well. The factor that perhaps has the biggest influence over our circadian rhythm is light. Through our evolution our physiology has evolved with and revolved around the rhythms of the sun. We rise with it, and we wind down our day as it sets, much is the same with our biology when it is working optimally. However, in the modern environment we now have the ability to "turn on the sun" whenever we want in the form of indoor lighting and screens. These light sources emit a wattage that signals to our physiology that it is still daytime this causes a surpression to the release of the most important hormone in regulating sleep: melatonin, while also increasing our levels of cortisol, commonly referred to as "the stress hormone". This makes falling asleep difficult, and getting restorative sleep almost impossible. We want high levels of natural melatonin and low levels of cortisol when going to sleep, and the inverse of this relationship when we wake: higher levels of cortisol with low levels of melatonin. Two more factors that impact our internal clock system are food and movement. When we consume food it causes a spike in insulin which leads to the body expending energy and resources to store food as energy inside the cells, this takes digestion, absorption, and other hormonal processes to achieve. This takes priority over the necessary processes needed to get the body and mind ready for rest. Consuming food also raises our body temperature which sends further signals to our mind and body that it is not the time to rest and repair. Movement and exercise also impacts our circadian rhythm through a variety of pathways. First movement, and especially exercise, increases our internal body temperature and as stated earlier in this section that effects our ability to enter states of deep rest and restoration. Having a knowledge of what variables impact our circadian rhythm is this will ensure we have the energy necessary to express our best self and take on our day!
Aligning Your Rhythm
So what does a proper internal rhythm look like? Of course it mimics the daily cycle of nature!
Morning
In the morning we want: a rise in body temperature and cortisol, this will help us have the energy to get out of bed and ready to take on the day. It is healthy and optimal to have the genes of metabolism, focus, & energy switched on in the morning, leading to an increased ability to: accomplish work tasks, move/forage/hunt/exercise, and digest/metabolize/absorb food. Just as if we were to look to the natural world, as the sun rises so to does the energy: birds signing and chirping, many animals beginning their daily movement, plants rising and stretching to the sun, etc. . The rise of the sun signifies the pick-up of the movement of energy. So how do you set your morning rhythm up for natural health and vitality? You participate in the cycle of the natural world:
#1 Get-up and get outside within the first hour of waking
How long? Minimal dose, 5-10min on a clear day, 15-30min on a day with overcast. Don't worry if you can't see the sun through the clouds, there is still plenty more lux (measurement of light) then from any screen or indoor lighting. This light will turn on the body's cortisol release giving you the energy to take on your day, while also starting a timer for your body to begin to release melatonin ~12-14hrs later setting yourself up for a great night of sleep.
#2 Move your body early
Moving your body early in the day has many mental and physical benefits. It doesn't need to be overally intense, just warming up and moving your joints and tissues, or even going for a 5-10min walk, creates much more freedom of movement while also engaing your brain leaving you with more mental and physical energy and feeling better in your body. Also, when you move your body it increases your body temperature further releasing cortisol and feel good hormones that you can harness for creative and productive energy for daily tasks. Light-moderate intensity movement also circulates lymphatic fluid which is waste that your body has created and gathered, this creates more mental and physical efficency and potential.
#3 Do something that promotes resillience & strength
Doing a difficult, stressful, or demanding activity early in the morning is a great ingrediant to aligning you mind & body as well as setting yourself up for a great day. When you engage in something difficult and overcome the challenge it gifts you with the strength, resillience, and the confidence, both mentally and physically, to take on and conquer other challenges life may throw your way. Some examples of activities that promote resillience and anti-fragility: cold exposure, breath training, exercise, and heat exposure.
#4 Eat Nutritious Food
Eating food early, or somewhat early, in the morning starts to turn on and boost our metabolism. It also gives us the ability to go through our day with more energy and vitality to take on our daily endevours. Our bodies are better primed to absorb nutrients in the morning/first half of the day. It is also a good idea to consume a majority of your protein in your first meal/earlier in the day, this way the body can use those proteins to repair itself throughout the day.
Night
Just as we want energy in the morning, we want to reverse or downshift this cycle as the day winds down. The most impactful hormone that we want to begin to begin to optimize for is melatonin as well as the neurotransmitter adenosine. These two chemicals are both vital ingredients in ensuring a great night of sleep, allowing our bodies to make appropriate repairs so we can thrive while we are awake. By managing our external environment and mirroring it off of the natural world we can create an ideal internal environment for just that! Here are some tips on creating an ideal environment for optimal restorative sleep:
#1 Get outside view the sunset and manage indoor light envirionment
Just like viewing the sunrise in the morning creates reactions in our bodies for high levels of energy for the day, viewing the sunset in the evening signals to our bodies that it is time to wind down. It's quite amazing, but our bodies can differentiate between light from sunrise and sunset and activates different reactions within us appropriatley by beginning the timer for the release of the hormone melatonin with more percision. Viewing the panoramic beauty of the sunset also signals to our minds that we are safe and that it is ok to relax which furthur sets up our biology to begin restorative processes. Just as, if not more important than, viewing the sunset is managing our indoor light environment. Nowdays most of our homes are lit by incandescant, florescent, and/or LED light bulbs, these bulbs contain more than enough lux to surpress the melatonin release in the body which dramatically delays the process meaning it will take longer to get into those phases of restorative sleep that our bodies and brains so desperatley need. So what can we do about this? Thankfully there are options we can chose to offset some of these negative side effects, first there are red light glasses, these glasses block most of the waves of light coming from blue and green spectrum and only allowing in red and yellow waves, this really helps to offset the surpression of melatonin caused by viewing blue light. These glasses are available through multiple different companies, my favorite are boncharge (no affliation), I find that they work very well while still being as stylish as possible. Another step you can take to optimize your light environment is to switch to more candle and/or fire light, after the sun sets, as your main source of indoor lighting. There are also red light light bulbs available for indoor use, only side note here is you want to set them up lower to the ground as light high up in our environment mimics a sun at a higher level in the sky which signals to our physiology that it is still day time.
#2 Cease eating and intensely exercising 2-3hrs prior to bed
Food is an essential component of energy and bodily repair, however eating too close to bed will pull vital energetic resources to the gut in order to process and digest it. This surpresses and delays the ability of our bodies to enter into deep and restful phases of sleep. A good idea would be to have your last meal just before or shortly after sundown, another good marker you can use is to finish eating ~2-3hrs before you head to bed, this would give your body the time it needs digest and distribute the nutrients to the necessary locations. It also gives your body time to bring down its core temperature before bed which allows you to fall asleep and stay asleep more effectivley. This is a reason it would also be a good idea, daily schedule permitting, to not workout intensely late at night. When we raise our heart rate and core temperature it signals to our body that we need to liberate energy to handle some external threat or stimulus. This means that the body doesn't think it is safe to turn on the restore and repair mode, which will delay the process of entering deep and healing phases of sleep. It would be a great idea to try to workout earlier in the day when the body is primed to use energy to get sh*t done.
#3 Engage in a mindful relaxation activity
Mindful relaxation practices are an amazing way to reflect on the day, wind down, destress, and practice self-love and/or care. Some examples of such practices include: slow flow movements/yoga, meditation, breathwork, Tai chi, Qigong, epson salt bath, etc... . These practices can help to slow us down to better and more fluidly transition into a state of being that best allows us to get a good nights sleep which sets us up for a great tomorrow!
Stacking Variables
In this section I have outlined seven useful and effective strategies to help you set up your circadian rhythm. Feel free to experiment with these practices and find what works best for you and your body. One last helpful tip before I sign off, as I know it may seem overwhelming and a daunting task to try and implement all this into to your already busy schedule, is to try to find oppurtunities to stack variables. Combine activities and environments that enhance eachother and yourself. For example, going outside early in the morning is one of, if not the, most impactful practice you can do for your health; moving your body early in the morning is also a great practice, you can combine the two to not only save you time but also enhance the positive effects as moving outside in nature has additional benefits compared to moving inside (Vitamin D, increased respritory resistance, uneven/unstable ground environment, etc...). This is not the only example either, there are plenty of combinations you can explore for yourself! I encourage you to experiement with these awesome health practices and find ways to stack the variables of your life so you can express your best and most vital self!
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