How to reset your Circadian Rhythm?

Humans have clock genes that make our body tick like a well oiled machine. Circadian Rhythm is our body’s biological clock that directly impacts our metabolism, digestion & sleep. It is instructed by clock genes that trigger essential metabolic activities such as storing energy, transporting oxygen, releasing hormones & neurotransmitters. 

Briefly, this biological clock dictates millions of metabolic processes, determines digestive rhythm, fat burning & storage & sleeping patterns. In fact, the clock genes instruct when each bodily activity/process should take place. Around 20% of our genes switch on & off during the 24 hour cycle. Sleeping late, playing with your phone at midnight, eating late, working in night shifts & travelling across time zones disturb our circadian rhythm(CR). CR is associated with chronic diseases( preventable) such as type 2 diabetes, obesity & cancer. Body clock genes are found in every organ of human body.These genes turn on & off at predictable times, shutting down & switching on production of proteins that perform vital functions within our body’s cells.

We have already discussed in our earlier blog how circadian rhythm works & disturbing it impacts our overall health. Therefore we are not going to discuss this in detail.

So if we have disrupted circadian rhythm, what actually happens & how can we reset our biological clock?

Some of the side effects of circadian rhythm include low energy, mood swings, weak immunity, food cravings, difficulty in losing weight. As shared in our previous blogs, our digestive system secretes most gastric juices, enzymes & hormones in the first half of the day. This activity reduces as we progress to late afternoon & evening. These molecules are essential for digestion & therefore eating late evening leads to digestion issues. During night, circadian rhythm is focussed on putting the body to sleep, repairing tissues, and removing waste products. In fact, it is only during sleep our brain removes waste products of chemical reactions. When we mess with our sleep schedule, we impact our brain’s ability to operate at maximum efficiency. 

So how can we press the reset button?

Light & dark are two elements that determine circadian rhythm. When daylight or artificial light is detected by your eyes, it sends a message to the SCN or suprachiasmatic nucleus which regulates all clock genes of your body.

To reset your clock, you need to set a schedule for yourself that respects your circadian rhythm. Some of the corrections which you should do include:

1. Maintain consistency in what time you go to sleep & what time you get up.
2. Turn off TC screens, laptops, tablets & mobiles at least 2 hours before you sleep.
3. Eat your biggest meal early when your digestive juices are active.
4. Say no to caffeinated beverages during late afternoon & evening.
5. Do on consume anything at least 3 hours before you go to sleep to prevent occurrence of digestive issues.
6. Use dim light bulbs or tube lights for your bedroom.

Circadian Rhythm is one of the most important health pillars of our holistic health solution. Discover your personal traits & learn how disrupting your body’s biological clock will impact your sleep & exposure to lifestyle diseases. By subscribing to our membership & preventive health solutions, you will get access to various resources, guidance, training, coaching & workshops covering the impact of your genetic predisposition to various aspects of health that will help you maximise your fitness potential & improve your health. Sign up for our membership here.