Hot Girls Have Their Circadian Rhythm in Check
Image Courtesy: pinterest
“I think I should go on anti-anxiety meds.”
“No, you just need more sun on your face in the morning.”
When my sister overheard this conversation between friends, she laughed. When she later told me that she was going on a walk to get her “morning sunlight,” it was my turn to laugh. Soon enough, however, I was standing out in the cold minutes after waking up and staring at the rising sun – and I’m sure my neighbors were laughing at me.
The motivation behind this bizarre behavior: circadian rhythm. Commonly known as your “body clock,” your circadian rhythm is your body’s natural 24-hour cycle that regulates sleep-wake patterns, hormone release, body temperature and metabolism. In non-nerd speak, it’s your body’s way of knowing what time of day it is and what you should be doing.
This internal clock runs a ton of your body’s functions and is especially important for your quality of sleep and general mood throughout the day. And I hate to break this to you, but yours might be screwed up… sorry. The good news is that there’s a way to get your circadian rhythm back in sync: light.
Let’s think about this logically…as if you were a caveman. The sun rising in the morning communicated to your body that it was time to get up and get to work hunting animals or something. When the sun started to set, your body knew it was time to start settling in for the night. (Scientifically, this has to do with your eyes and brain being able to recognize the blue light to yellow light ratio in sunrises and sunsets.)
Today, because humans spend most of our time indoors, we get less natural light during the day and get more exposure to blue light from artificial light and screens during the evening. This, essentially, confuses our body clock and throws our circadian rhythm out of balance. To get it back in sync, all you have to do is harness light exposure.
1. Morning light: It’s simple. As soon as you can within the first few hours after you wake up, go outside and get some sunlight on your eyeballs. (Not through a window!) The recommended time is 5-10 minutes on a sunny day and 15-20 minutes on an overcast day. This communicates to your body that it’s time to get going for the day by causing your cortisol to peak early, which prepares your body for sleep later that night.
2. Late afternoon light: When the sun starts to sink lower in the sky, it’s helpful to get this light in your eyes too. Remember what I said about the blue-to-yellow light ratio? Your eyes and brain will recognize that this specific ratio means the day is ending and will essentially communicate that to your body. If you need something else to convince you to watch the sunset, now you know it’s good for your health.
3. Evening light: Once it’s dark out, try to limit the amount of artificial light you’re exposed to. For example, maybe turn on a desk lamp instead of the big overhead light. Ideally, rough it like the olden times by candlelight. Another key to good sleep is limiting blue light from your phone when bedtime is approaching.
The result: better sleep and a happier mood!
There’s way more than goes into a good circadian rhythm: including timing meals and exercise, caffeine and temperature. I’d explain it, but I’ve had enough blue light for tonight. ;)
I’ll refer you to the expert for more strategies (and scientific explanations that are past my depth): Andrew Huberman.
See the podcast that started it all: Sleep Toolkit: Tools for Optimizing Sleep & Sleep Wake Timing by Huberman Lab
Personal tech recommendation for tracking sleep: Oura Ring Gen 4
Source: Early evening light mitigates sleep compromising physiological and alerting responses to subsequent late evening light (Scientific Reports)
Strike Out,
Alex Keezer
Editor: Anna Kadet
Athens