Circadian Rhythm

 While it may seem harmless to take your circadian rhythm for granted, in reality, a strong circadian rhythm is crucial to your health and wellness!  When you disrupt your circadian rhythm, you disrupt the energy you are supposed to have during the day and the restoration you are supposed to have at night. Read more to find out why………

Circadian rhythm has a huge influence on your energy, metabolic health, sleep-wake cycles, stress response, mood, digestion, and body temperature. Many hormones and hormone receptors have circadian rhythm of expression, and when circadian rhythm is disrupted, so are your hormones!

 A weak circadian rhythm leads to increased frequency of illness, increased body fat, decreased lifespan, and chronic fatigue! With a weak circadian rhythm, you are more likely to have anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, increased risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, accelerate aging, and impaired glymphatic clean-up of the brain (lymphatic system of the brain) which can lead to cognitive impairment and increased risk for dementia!

 If you have ever experienced jet leg, you will probably remember how tired you felt at “the wrong time” and how much harder your body had to work to stay awake. This is what it feels like to work against your circadian rhythm.

 The body has a master clock called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the brain. Throughout the body, there are “peripheral body clocks.”  These need to be in sync and working in harmony for the body to generate a strong circadian rhythm.  (1)

You can strengthen (or weaken) your circadian rhythm with certain cues from our external environment that guide our internal clocks (CR) such as light, temperature, food intake, and movement with LIGHT being the most important factor. I believe the absolute best thing you can do for your circadian rhythm is to spend some time outside with the morning sun (not through a window) for at least 5-10 minutes!

Want to learn more about how to use these cues to strengthen your circadian rhythm?

Take the CIRCADIAN RHYTHM QUIZ to learn if YOUR behaviors support a strong circadian rhythm.

Click HERE for practical tips on improving your circadian rhythm.

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