Aligning with Nature: The Power of Circadian Rhythms

Episode 6 Part 1 of our 3 Part Series on Sleep Can ignoring your body's natural sleep patterns lead to serious health complications? Join me, Health Coach Shay, as we unravel the mysteries of circadian rhythms and their critical role in mental and physical well-being. This episode sheds light on how these internal processes govern everything from sleep-wake cycles to hormone release, eating habits, and even body temperature. I'll break down the science behind the primary biological clock in our hypothalamus, the influence of light and dark cycles on melatonin and cortisol levels, and the fascinating interaction of genes and proteins that keep our bodies ticking.

Discover the shocking consequences of disrupted circadian rhythms, including potential links to depression, anxiety, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Learn why listening to your body's natural rhythms is more than just about getting a good night's sleep—it's a cornerstone of overall health. Whether you're dealing with shift work, frequent travel, or simply want to enhance your sleep quality, this episode offers practical tips for aligning your circadian rhythms. Don't miss this opportunity to understand how maintaining proper sleep patterns can be a game-changer for your health.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:17

Welcome to Episode 6 of 24-7 Health News, sponsored by myself, health Coach Shea at Sage Life Therapeutics. These topics are generally going to be from my blog at 24-7 Health News or they're just topics I think are important for health and fitness, because these topics are important to your health. I will try to break down some of the more complicated ideas and help you apply them to your daily life. Again, my name is Health Coach Shea and I'm a Master Trainer and a Holistic Health Coach at Sage Life Therapeutics. Let me give you a few disclaimers before we get too far into it. Let me give you a few disclaimers before we get too far into it. My information is not meant to prescribe or be taken in lieu of a discussion with your doctor or health care professional. You should always speak to your health care professional before making any nutrition or fitness changes. I'm a health coach and I'm making recommendations only in that capacity. Now, this should go without saying, but I know there's some COVID stuff out there still, so I just want to make sure that you understand that my blog may or may not have COVID stories, but I prefer to discuss health and fitness and wellness because, after all the you know how good your health is is more important than anything. I may, if there's a crossover, suggest you read something for yourself, but not if I can help it. So let's get started with our topic for today Sleep, or, specifically, circadian rhythms.

Speaker 1: 2:05

What the heck is a circadian rhythm? So in this episode, we're going to explore the science behind circadian rhythms, how they impact your mental and physical health, and share some practical tips on improving sleep quality to support these natural rhythms. So what's the definition? Circadian rhythms are natural internal processes that regulate sleep-wake cycle and repeat roughly every 24 hours. These rhythms are driven by a biological clock locked in your brain. So when we say biological clock, the primary clock known as a oh, this is a big word, I'm not going to even say it it's a primary clock in your brain, located in the hypothalamus. The clock coordinates all the body circadian rhythms. What influences the circadian rhythms are various bodily functions, including hormone release, eating habits, digestion and body temperature. They are most famously known for regulating sleep patterns. So how does this work? Our circadian rhythms are primarily influenced by light and dark cycles. Exposure to natural light helps us synchronize within the 24-hour day. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain. It helps regulate sleep by increasing in the evening when it gets dark and then decreasing in the morning when it gets light. That pesky cortisol, a hormone associated with stress we all know about stress right Follows a daily rhythm as well. It peaks in the morning to help wake us up and decreases throughout the day. Genes and proteins. Certain genes and proteins also play a role in maintaining circadian rhythms. The clock genes produce proteins that interact in a feedback loop to regulate the timing of the rhythms. So how does this really impact our health?

Speaker 1: 4:31

Disruptions in circadian rhythms can lead to various mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and even bipolar disorder. Proper alignment of these rhythms is crucial for mental well-being. Physical health how does it affect physical health? How does it affect physical health? Irregular circadian rhythms can affect cardiovascular health, immune function and metabolic process.

Speaker 1: 5:10

Chronic misalignment, such as shift work or frequent jet lag, is associated with higher risk of chronic disease like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. So I mean that's really interesting. Do you understand what they're saying here? If you don't get your sleep, it could lead to obesity. If you don't get your sleep, your blood sugar can get off and you can end up with high diabetes. If you don't get your sleep, you can end up with heart disease. That's crazy, right? When you think about sleeping on the proper rhythm and I'm not saying everybody needs to get eight, because everybody's different, everybody doesn't necessarily need eight what I'm saying is your circadian rhythm is telling you how long and when to sleep, and if you don't do that, you're jacked up and your heart could be jacked up. I mean that's really really scary for me. I mean that's an idea. I mean I have had periods of time when I have had insomnia and I was really in a terrible shape, and so I really think that's something that we should really really think about. I mean, never mind, I'm not going to say never mind, the mental health disruptions are already diabolical. Right, you don't get enough sleep, you're depressed, you have anxiety and then you know, even worse, bipolar disorder. You have to get your rest.

Speaker 1: 6:42

I find that, as humans, that's one of the largest things that we sacrifice our sleep. The smallest little items can mess with our sleep. There's all this conversation about too much phone time and that blue light from your phone keeping you awake, all of that research on that information. I'm not gonna talk about that. I'm talking about the rhythm of your body and how you should pay attention to it and go to sleep when you need to go to sleep and get the proper amount of rest, so you know. That being said, how does it affect your productivity and performance? Circadian rhythms can influence your cognitive function, how alert you are and how good or bad your performance is. Aligning activities with the natural body rhythms can enhance productivity, your productivity and efficiency. I mean, we really have to take stock of when we should be sleeping and how much we should be sleeping. I think that that is really scary to think of all the things that your sleep can affect and I really want, you know, really want to think about that.

Speaker 1: 8:09

I do my best and sometimes I end up in bed at eight o'clock because I'm tired, my body feels tired, it's ready to go to sleep, so I'm going to let it. You know you can't have. It's not something that you should sacrifice in lieu of some other things. Now, I know there's a whole lot of conversation online about people getting up at four and five o'clock in the morning and being millionaires and all that other kind of stuff. Those people likely go to bed. Okay, let's be real, they go to bed. You know they have. They probably have days when they're up in the having to do some things, you know, later into the evening. But I bet you, those people have a solid schedule and they take their, they they get their rest when they're supposed to get their rest.

Speaker 1: 9:01

So what can you do to help improve your sleep quality? So, consistent sleep schedule? I just alluded to that fact. Right, you try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, and even on weekends. This helps regulate your body's internal clock. So you have to get yourself on a schedule right where your body is relaxing. You might even try letting your body, for several days, naturally see what's happening. So, for instance, for me, I do have an alarm set at a certain time to get up and go to work, but my body naturally wakes up at about 4.30,. Right, I go to bed as early as it's ready to go. Sometimes it's late, sometimes it's not. Nine times out of 10, it's the same schedule. So set your schedule and go to bed.

Speaker 1: 10:01

Now, this is another one that I think is a really good idea Create a relaxing bedtime routine, engaging in calming activities before bed, such as reading, meditating or taking a warm bath or shower. This signals to your body that it's time to wind down. I am the worst for this. I think that you really have to again make that schedule. You really have to pay attention to your body's natural rhythms and do this thing here, you know, figure out what those routines are, make sure your body knows when it's time and the melatonin can start kicking in and getting ready for you to go to sleep. I know one of the worst things for me is like when you lay there and your eyes are just open and sleep is not coming. I think you get even more aggravated at that point and you don't um, you, you don't go to sleep because now you're irritated, you're mad because you can't go to sleep, right. So then another one is limit, limit your light exposure and um, you know, exposure in the evening. Reduce exposure to screens and bright lights at least an hour before bed.

Speaker 1: 11:24

Considering using blue light filters on your devices. So I know a lot of us read, right, read before we go to bed sort of relaxes the mind. That might even be your meditation thing. And a lot of us don't use a regular old book anymore. People have Kindles, people read on their tablets and all that kind of stuff. Adjust your screen. Get the light low on your screen just enough so you can read and so it can mellow out your brain.

Speaker 1: 11:55

Try to release the day. That's, that's my, my two cents to this. Try your best to release the day. I find that sometimes, when you've had a tough day, it is super difficult for you to say, okay, it's done, I can't do anything else about it. This is not the time for me to sit around and think up solutions. It's time for me to get some rest and start again fresh tomorrow. Right, but remember those devices. You need filters on them and you need to make sure that they're not the thing that's keeping you awake. What do they call that now? Death scrolling, that you're scrolling through Instagram for like hours.

Speaker 1: 12:39

Try not to make that your routine. Watch your diet. Avoid heavy meals, caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime. These things can disrupt your sleep patterns. I know we like to think that a nightcap might help you sleep, but it actually does not. A good cup of tea and I hate to sound corny, but a good cup of tea can knock you out, really make that sleep come to you real fast. The warm tea decaf, you know non-caffeine tea the warm tea can warms your body from the inside out and, my goodness, it will give you the best sleep you've had in years. So if you're not, if that's not your routine, you should try that one out.

Speaker 1: 13:35

Physical activity regular physical exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and enjoy deep sleep. Just avoid vigorous activity close to bedtime. I mean, think about it. You really don't want to get your heart rate up just before you go to bed, right? You need some time, dare I say an hour or two, before you go to bed. If you're going to do vigorous activity, don't work out at 9 o'clock, take a shower and think you're going to be able to go to sleep in 30 minutes. Your heart rate is going to be up. It's going to take time for the adrenaline, the cortisol and all the stuff attributed to vigorous exercise to release from your body and you're not going to be able to go to sleep like you think.

Speaker 1: 14:38

Think now, midday morning and maybe a dinner time after. Right after dinner time, um, exercise can really, really help you have a nice good sleep, um, and then, uh, one of an interesting one daylight exposure. Get plenty of natural light during the day. So none you know, that's a very interesting one, because a lot of us work in offices, right, and we're sitting under those yucky lights all day. We have to remember, for various reasons, to get up and walk away from our desk every 45 minutes to an hour. For this reason and others, um, but especially, you want to do this in the morning and I would say definitely, if you can't make every hour, try to go morning, lunch and then, of course, on your way home, you know, in the car, walking to whatever your public transportation is, or whatever you're doing, you know, try to get some good lights, some fresh air and all of that stuff in your nose to sort of, you know, give your body a new lease on life. All of this stuff helps regulate your circadian rhythm.

Speaker 1: 15:52

So let's do a recap. Today we took a look at the science of circadian rhythms, how they impact your health and practical tips to improve sleep quality and support the natural rhythms. Try to implement some of these things to enhance your sleep overall. Share your experience with us on social media, you know. Chat me up on my blog, make a comment. It'll be posted and you'll be able to make a comment there. So in the next episode we're gonna dive into another a little piece of circadian rhythm, um, and the role it deals with with your nutrition specifically, and maintaining. You know all of these things. So I you don't want to miss that because it's going to be a next one. I'm going to do a three-part series on circadian rhythms. So thanks again for joining me. Health coach, coach Shay, and please stay healthy and stay well and get yourself some sleep. Thanks again, hey forward. Like my podcast, share it. Do all that good stuff you do on social media. Thanks, a bunch Talk later.