Circadian translated in Latin means “around a day”. Circadian rhythm refers to the biological process which is built-in to all living organisms around the 24 hour day. It is mostly innate and self sustained, but can be significantly affected and entrained by our environment. A proper healthy circadian rhythm usually involves an individual rising with the sun and sleeping just after sun down. This cycle allows for optimal hormonal synergy with our environment which produces highest energy levels, health and well being.
There are many hormones that cannot optimally do their jobs when the circadian rhythm is off. Melatonin, often called the sleep hormone, is the greatest example. In truth, melatonin not only prepares the brain and body for sleep, it also is an extremely powerful antioxidant and plays an important role in preventing cancer. Cortisol, the stress hormone, is also directly influenced by circadian rhythm.
Negative Health Effects Of Circadian Rhythm/Sleep Disorder
First, with this problem, your sleep is likely not going to come in enough duration of quality rest. On the surface, this is going to cause weight gain and a lowered immune system. Deeper, your body, especially brain and muscle tissue, is not regenerating daily as it needs to in order to stay young and healthy. Sleep deprivation is one of the quickest way to age oneself prematurely. Studies suggest that circadian rhythm/sleep disorders contribute to cancer, heart disease, depression and obesity. Obesity is rapid in its onset, in large part, because sleep disorder causes leptin resistance which will generally cause weight gain. In fact, if you are overweight, you are leptin resistant.
Circadian Rhythm Thrown Off Time: What Are The Causes?
The most common cause is staying awake through the night, resulting in a need to sleep into the following day. Individuals working night shifts are the obvious victims here, though in today’s modern age, I would say that most people are falling victim to a seemingly harmless environmental factor which will negatively alter the circadian rhythm 100% of the time. What I am referring to is blue light from televisions, laptops, cellphones and light bulbs in the cool spectrum. Almost everyone I know looks into these light sources into the night. Blue light signals to the brain that is is day time and completely shuts down melatonin production. When this happens it is midnight but your body thinks it is 6:00 PM. Another concern is caffeine/stimulant consumption at night. Drinking coffee, tea or eating chocolate before bedtime can keep you awake, throwing off your circadian rhythm. Jet lag is a unique issue which will be addressed as well.
Now, How To Reset Your Circadian Rhythm
First I will share the quickest, cheapest most foolproof way first, then go on to the strategies for those who cannot use this method. Ready? Leave all your technology behind and go on a one week camping vacation. Being outside for several days will reset your circadian rhythm to the sun, guaranteed. You will be in bed just a few hours after dark and up with the sun, refreshed with a full nights sleep.
Here is the issue! When you go back to your domesticated lifestyle at home with all of your domesticated practices, your circadian rhythm will fall off its natural cycle again in no time. So below I’ll discuss some modern life hacks required to keep that natural circadian rhythm while staying in your home.
Get Good Light
Good light will regulate your circadian rhythm. This would be the sun. When you get out into the sun during the day, serotonin increases (preventing depression), vitamin D is produced and more specific to our topic, sunlight travels through the optic nerve into your pineal “plugs up” melatonin (sleep hormone) production. Once the sun goes down and it is dark, the melatonin “plug” is released and we get a heavy flow of the sleep hormone. This is how day time sun exposure improves sleep at night and resets circadian rhythm. In fact this is the most powerful resetting tool. The best method is to look into the early sunrise for at least 15 seconds every morning right when you wake up. The light travels into the pineal gland and the effect is almost instant. Melatonin is “plugged” and your daytime neurotransmitters come flowing. I also highly recommend getting about 10 minutes of full body (more than hands and face) exposure to the sun every day. If you have fair skin be cautious of sun exposure between 10 AM and 4 PM. During this time the UV index is highest and can cause quick sun burns. 20 minutes of sun exposure at around 8 AM is safer and will go a long way in solidifying your circadian rhythm for the day.
Avoid Bad Light
By bad light I mean almost every unnatural light source. During the day, unnatural light will not harm the circadian rhythm but at night even a very dim light will inhibit melanin production which causes all kinds of problems beyond sleep that can will harm us long term. Most harmful and most often abused after dark are cell phones, laptops, television, and blue spectrum light bulbs. Make sure all of your light bulbs are in the “warm” red spectrum, not the “cool” white spectrum which has much more blue light in it. The trick with phones and screens is to either completely avoid them once the sun is down, use the “night light” app which turns down the blue light on your screens after sun down or to where blue blocking glasses after dark. I generally go with the “night light” app on my phone and laptop because I cannot always keep myself off the screens at night. If you do not have blue light eliminating electronics apps or blue blocking glasses, just make sure to follow the sun down-screens off rule. Additionally, make sure to cover your digital alarm clock lights (red light is safe, no blue or green) and even the little beads of light that are on other electronics as these actually do inhibit melatonin.
How To Conveniently Avoid Night Time Blue Light
We all like to watch Netflix after sundown, but how can we avoid sleep disruption while watching TV? Blue light blocking glasses! If you are using a tablet or phone, use the “night light” app to lower the blue spectrum light.
Meal Timing And Composition
The “when” we eat and “what” we eat of daily meals plays a huge role in in stress hormone profile which is hugely important for our circadian rhythm. Did you know that the stress hormone cortisol is actually extremely important for our health? The issue comes when this hormone spikes at the wrong time or when it spikes too high for too long. Naturally we should have a cortisol spike first thing in the morning and a gradual drop through the day until cortisol is very low at night and we fall asleep. If your circadian rhythm is flipped, so is your cortisol spike. Your cortisol will be highest late in the evening and low in the morning. This is the case if you cannot get to bed at night, but in the morning, you cannot get out of bed. I used to have this problem big time.
So how can we use our diet to correct this? The key is to consume your largest protein meal right when you wake in the morning. Ideal would be 30-50 grams of protein for breakfast, make sure you get at least 30 grams. This bulk of protein will raise those important stress hormones (like cortisol) right when you wake up which will then gradually lower through the day until cortisol is low at night and you will be able to fall asleep naturally.
Also important will be to avoid any insulin spike a few hours before bed. Insulin interferes with the deep sleep process. If you are waking at night due to hunger, take some coconut oil or peanut/nut butter before bed, this will not touch your insulin levels and will provide long lasting satiety to fight off hunger.
Of course remember the obvious no-caffeine for 5 hours before bed. If you are having trouble sleeping, I recommend no caffeine through the day because even a morning cup of coffee will result in higher cortisol that night.
Exercise
Exercise can actually stimulate sleep, especially when properly timed. A vigorous workout 4-6 hours before bedtime seems to be the sweet spot. The physical exertion releases high amounts of endorphins which calm the body and prepare it for regenerative sleep. Interestingly though, walking may be the most effective method for sleep as is shown in studies. (Bisson et al. 2019) Aside from the endorphins and hormones, exercise raises body temperature. The following decrease in body temperature signals the body that it is time for sleep. Speaking of temperature.
Sleep Temperature
A 2023 study published in Science of the Total Environment found that the optimal temperature for sleep for older adults is between 68°F and 77°F (20°C and 25°C). Higher or lower than this can cause restlessness which will not lend to a healthy circadian rhythm.
Hot Bath Before Bed
Studies suggest a warm bath or shower an hour or two before bedtime can help you to relax and fall asleep faster. (Haghayegh et al. 2019) Why? It will cause an increase in core temperature followed by a sharp decrease in temperature, and that’s a circadian sleep signal (the lowering of temperature towards night time).
Sleep Therapy
Now that we have covered the bio physiology aspect of correcting your circadian rhythm I would like to share the methods used in modern sleep therapy, which have worked well for me in the past.
Limit Time In Bed
If you are late getting to sleep and want to get to bed earlier, wake up with the sunrise no matter how much sleep you have gotten. This will make for a couple days of sleep deprivation but it is the quickest way to reset your body and get it sleeping at sundown and will prevent much more future sleep deprivation than it will cause short term. In order for this to work you must avoid naps until you are consistently falling asleep early when you want to.
“Sleep Hygiene”
Sleep hygiene refers to only using your sleeping quarters for sleep and sex. This is a mistake I made which really hurt my quality of sleep. Lounging in bed during the day, watching TV, working on the laptop. The body comes to recognize the sleeping area not for sleep, but for watching TV, writing or whatever else you do in your bedroom. By lounging around in bed all day, your brain is subconsciously conditioned to perceive your sleeping area not as a place for sleep but rather a place to be alert and awake. If you only ever sleep in your bed, your brain will be conditioned to habitually relax and sleep when you lay down.
Jet Lag
For jet lag I recommend taking .3-3mg of melatonin an hour before you need to sleep just the first night. Melatonin is very effective for immediately adjusting your circadian rhythm. This is one of the only times I recommend supplementing melatonin. You do not want to be reliant on a supplemental hormone. An exception is if you are aging or damaged in some way and are unable to naturally produce sufficient melatonin levels.
Additional Nutrients To Assist Circadian Rhythm
- Magnesium is critical for quality of sleep, I recommend magnesium glycinate right before bed. Magnesium oxide is cheap and works as well. People will claim mag oxide is low bioavailability but the reality is that you actually absorb more magnesium from magnesium oxide than other forms since magnesium oxide contains significantly more elemental magnesium than other magnesium compounds.
- L-Theanine is an amino acid which lowers stress by slowing the brain waves down to alpha. It is well known to promote sleep. I recommend 100-500 mgs before bed
- Gelatin, a protein source, is one of the only food sources other than pure oil, that I recommend before bed. The most abundant amino acid in gelatin, glycine, is neuroinhibitory and has been studied to improve quality of sleep.
- There are many sedative herbs that are very effective to take before bedtime. I recommend kava kava, ashwagandha, valerian, lemon balm, holy basil and passion flower to name a few. These always work best when taken together as a combination. Start with smaller doses to check if you tolerate these herbs.
Summary
Sleep is a pillar of health and most people will agree that without adequate rest, health or sanity are not possible. Strategies at the top of the article such as camping/being outside, calibrated blue light exposure, meal timing and exercise are the most important things you should first master. Everything else will only bolster the improvements to your circadian cycles. I commend you for learning about this topic as it is one of the most important things to master if you want a long healthy life. Good luck in your journey to optimal health!
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