Today we will understand together if your circadian rhythms are “off” and how this can affect your health and well-being.
Yes, because you should know that disturbed circadian cycles or chronic circadian sleep-wake disruptions can often lead to psychiatric or neurodegenerative diseases .
Before starting this analysis on how circadian rhythms affect our health, we need to make a small premise:
What are circadian cycles?
Our human regulatory (or circadian) system is made up of a series of 24-hour internal biological clocks that have the task of keeping metabolic and hormonal processes regulated , such as:
- Sleep/wake schedules
- Body temperature
- Release of hormones
All these “biological clocks” (called circadian rhythms) are supported, in turn, by a “master” one that resides inside the hypothalamus and that regulates the biological rhythm of our body. In order for the circadian system to “work” correctly, all our internal biological clocks must be synchronized with the stimuli of the surrounding environment.
What are the signs that your circadian rhythms are “off”?
The best indicator is the level of cortisol (the stress hormone) during our day , as you can see in the graph below, a correct daily level of cortisol (green line) is an indication of a correct regulation of the circadian cycles.
Yes ok, but how do we practically understand if our cortisol levels are “correct”?
First of all, cortisol has effects throughout our body and is believed (according to many studies) to play a leading role in daily cognitive and behavioral functioning, as well as regulating the immune and inflammatory systems.
Back to us, what are the signs that denote your circadian rhythms are “off”? As mentioned, it is cortisol, but on a practical level, there are some symptoms or “signals” that our body sends us.
In fact, it is very common to find ourselves in the second condition (red line) that we saw in the graph above, that is, with a flattening of the daily cortisol level.
Symptoms that indicate abnormal cortisol levels may include:
- States of fatigue
- Bad mood or depression
- Concentration problems
- Prolonged states of anxiety
- Metabolic disorders
- Overweight and obesity
- Poorer overall health (mental and physical)
How can we improve circadian rhythms?
There are a few simple behaviors that can improve our circadian rhythms, let's start with the first: light .
Light is the strongest circadian stimulus that can be used to regulate our circadian rhythms . In fact, respecting the day and night cycles to carry out our daily activities helps our biological clocks to work in synergy and in a better way, promoting the well-being of our body.
Other behaviors that contribute to a correct “synchronization” of our circadian rhythms are:
- Follow a healthy diet , respecting the distribution of macronutrients in our day: 60% low glycemic index carbohydrates, 15% proteins and 25% natural fats
- Keep excessive sources of stress under control, especially in the second part of the day, avoid situations that make us feel very uncomfortable, therefore, as far as possible, organize a routine that includes all stressful activities in the first part of the day.
- Doing regular physical exercise , intense and short in the morning, low intensity and long duration at the end of the day, can be an effective strategy to optimize and coordinate with our circadian rhythms.
- Organize moments dedicated to breathing, relaxation , walks in nature, reading, hot baths, especially at the end of the day
These are our tips for re-establishing your circadian rhythms that you have just read. They are “wrong”, they are simple tips, but if applied correctly and consistently they can significantly improve the quality of your life.
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Buy NowThe problems of modern society
We want to conclude this article by admitting that in the society we live in, it is difficult to respect our circadian rhythms . In fact, the misalignment between the circadian system and environmental timetables is a common condition nowadays (many times we don't even realize it), but it is linked to numerous negative consequences and chronic pathologies, such as (and COVID is giving us proof of this) a dysfunction of our immune system .
So the best advice we can give you (or that you can give yourself) is to respect your biological clocks not only to live your daily life better, but also for your health over the years.
Sources:
- Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2019 Mar 2; 21(3): 14. doi: 10.1007/s11920-019-1001-8
- J Biophotonics. 2019 Dec;12(12):e201900102.doi: 10.1002/jbio.201900102. Epub 2019 Sep 2.
- Lupien et al., 2009
- PLoS One . 2019; 14(12): e0225988. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225988
- Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2019 Apr;15(4):197-206.doi: 10.1038/s41574-018-0150-x.
