The Ancient Rhythm Of Life

Life is full of cycles. We can see them all around us. We can look outside. We see the seasons changing. Unless you're in California, of course, we can see plants growing, blooming, dying and growing again. And we talk about things like the circle of life, because we know that life is full of cycles and you also are full of cycles.
In fact, there's one in particular I want to talk to you about called the circadian rhythm. And you may have heard this term, it's been around for a very long time. Circadian as a concept has been around at least since the fourth century B.C. and people use it to talk about the circles of events in a day. It comes from the root "circa Diem", which means around a day, and it refers to like a daily cycle of your body.
A lot of times you'll hear people talking about circadian rhythms in relation to sleep and wake cycles, and that is part of what circadian rhythms are. But I think it's really important for us to know and be aware of how our body operates in a normal day and how that operation, whether it's going well or maybe not so well, is going to impact the other activities that we do throughout the day, because if our bodies aren't functioning well, that's going to affect a whole host of other things.
And one of the first big steps is just to recognize and acknowledge that we do have a daily cycle and not every person has the same daily cycle. But there is some similarities for pretty much every human on the planet when it comes to the circadian rhythm. Often we are not aware of that rhythm and we don't think of it very much until it's disrupted.
Say, for example, you travel overseas. It's very likely that your sense of meal time and your sense of sleep time is going to be thrown off by the different time zones and probably by the long trip getting there. And you're going to start noticing the effects of that in your body. We talk about jetlag, and part of that has to do with your circadian rhythm.
Your circadian rhythm also influences your melatonin, which is how you get ready for sleep. It affects your hormones, your digestive system and other body activities that are linked to that rhythm. And being mindful of this is really important. If you want to be alert and energetic and engaged in your daily life. And I'm just going to go out on a limb and assume that you probably do want these things.
But if you want the benefits of having a healthy circadian rhythm, you need to be aware of what might be causing you problems in that rhythm. Because if things aren't going well, you're going to feel off. And sometimes you don't even know how to articulate that. But it's true. You are just out of sync, out of rhythm, if you will.
So here are a few factors to consider when it comes to maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm. One of the more undervalue food aspects of a good rhythm is light and the primary source of light in all the rhythms of life, not just for us, but also for the animals and the trees is obviously the sun. Sunshine is a really important factor in your circadian rhythm.
And a lot of times we work jobs that keep us out of the sunshine to a certain extent. So it's really important to expose yourself to some sunshine throughout your days. This really helps your body know when to produce certain chemicals, and the sunlight enlivens you, tells your body it's time to be awake and move. If your environment is too dark during certain parts of the day, your brain really is thinking about sleep and rest, and it's not being conditioned to feel like it should be active or awake.
So it is important to get a good amount of sunshine, not just light from a screen. However, light from a screen is also a light source and it needs to be taken into consideration. And if you are taking in light from electronics, particularly mobile devices that you have around you near times when you should be resting and going to sleep, this is also going to disrupt your circadian rhythm.
So it's best to be using your devices and your screens during an active time of the day. If you're trying to wind down and go to sleep, you should not be on your phone. You may think of it as a method for unwinding at the end of the day, but it is a light source that's very close to your face and it can cause your brain to think that it should still be awake.
So while you may be thinking that you're doing it to help you fall asleep, you may inadvertently be creating some very poor quality sleep patterns in your circadian rhythm. Another thing to consider is physical motion. Being active produces physical fatigue, which is really important to getting sound sleep and that sleep wake cycle is a big part of the circadian rhythm.
So if you're not tired by the time you should be going to sleep and be tired. I mean full body physically tired, then you probably won't sleep very well. Being mentally exhausted can be a type of tired, but sometimes that actually keeps us awake more than it helps us sleep. So it's really important to be getting some physical motion in your day, whether that's running in the morning, going to the gym, playing a sport, or even just doing some basic stretching and free body weights at home is a great way to get your heart rate up and to get your body moving something else.
And you're going to hate me for this. I know, but I have to bring it up because it's very important is caffeine. Caffeine is a huge factor in your circadian rhythm and a lot of people simply take it whenever they want it or feel like they need it without thinking of how it's actually impacting their sleep wake cycle.
So caffeine is something that a lot of times experts will recommend that you avoid, particularly during the later times of the day. Research has shown it's not just if you're going to drink a coffee or some caffeinated beverage before bed. It's actually any time after noon. When you are taking in a lot of caffeine, you are risking your ability to sleep better later on.
And I know that's difficult and I know sometimes we feel like I can't get through my work day without that caffeine, but actually that dependance on the caffeine may be causing you problems in your circadian rhythm. So be careful with that and don't be sending the wrong signals to your brain through caffeine. And lastly, one of the most important factors of the circadian rhythm is consistency.
And depending on your lifestyle, that might be really difficult for you to achieve. But just like the name implies circadian rhythm, it's a rhythm. So if you are not sleeping and waking with some regularity, your rhythm is going to sound wrong. Your body is a beautiful machine and it can do marvelous things, but if you're not caring for it properly, it's not going to be able to function well.
So when your circadian rhythm is suffering, your concentration in your awareness, your energy levels and even your overall happiness is going to suffer as well. And conversely, when you have developed a really good circadian rhythm, you're going to find that you can concentrate better, you're more aware, you retain more information, you have more energy to do the things you want to do, and you just feel better.
Overall, as a person, I don't know about you, but I'm trying to do some difficult things in life and I want to accomplish some hard goals. And if I'm going to do that, I'm going to have to make sure I'm taking care of the body that's going to help me accomplish them. And you can't ask your body to do hard work and accomplish big things if you're not giving it proper sleep and proper activity.
So what are some things that have worked well for you in building a healthy circadian rhythm? I'd love to hear your feedback, your thoughts and your experiences, and you can email me at [email protected]. Until next time, live like it matters in.