What are Circadian Rhythm's and why are they so important

Do you ever feel like your body has its own internal clock? That's because it does! Circadian rhythms are natural biological processes that regulate the sleep-wake cycle and other physiological functions in humans. These rhythms play a critical role in how we live our lives, controlling many daily activities such as when we eat meals and go to bed, so understanding them is important for overall health guidance. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the science of circadian rhythms - what they are and why they’re so important for our physical and mental well-being. So whether you're looking to increase energy levels or simply get better quality of rest every night, let's learn about circadian rhythm together!

Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that are naturally driven by our body clock. These rhythms typically cycle within a period of 24 hours and help our bodies regulate when we sleep, feel awake and tired, as well as other biological processes. In general, the body clock will anticipate environmental changes and adjust accordingly — such as when it starts to get light in the early morning, or when late afternoon approaches. Maintaining a healthy daily rhythm is key for optimal health, since it can affect both physical and cognitive functioning. The level of productivity obtained throughout the day may also be impacted by the varying levels of alertness caused by our circadian rhythms. Ultimately, understanding how one's complex body clock operates could be beneficial to making healthier lifestyle choices overall. Circadian Rhythms are essential elements of our biology that tell us when to sleep and when to wake up. These rhythms regulate many physical and mental processes within the body, including hormone production, digestion, inflammation response and alertness levels. People who have healthy circadian rhythms tend to experience improved cognitive performance, better quality of sleep, more consistent energy levels throughout the day, improved emotional well-being, and a higher tolerance for stress. On the other hand, those with disrupted circadian rhythms suffer from decreased alertness during the day, difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep at night; increased stress levels; confusion or feeling out of sync; lower cognitive performance; psychological problems such as depression; and a weakened immune system. Ultimately, it's crucial for all individuals to ensure their internal clock is aligned with their daily activities in order to maintain optimal physical and mental health. Regular sleep-wake cycles are beneficial to both your physical and mental health. This is thanks to our biological circadian rhythms which essentially act as an internal clock for our bodies. Having a consistent sleep-wake cycle helps us to keep our bodies in rhythm, leading to better quality and quantity of restful sleep. With the help of the regulated hormones, this can also lead to improved concentration while awake, performance and reaction time during physical activities, a healthy balance among other hormones within the body, boosted levels of alertness throughout the day, along with providing a general feeling of well-being through its benefit of regulating mood. Ensuring that you are getting quality rest is a critical aspect of leading a happy and healthy life. A great way to make sure you get the rest you need is to practice good sleep hygiene by making sure that the foods that you are eating and the habits you practice throughout the day are conducive to following your natural Circadian Rhythm. Eating nutritious and energy-rich meals, including plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and fats can help regulate your metabolism and prepare your body for sleep. It is also important to refrain from drinking caffeinated beverages in the late afternoon/evening. Additionally, taking part in regular physical activity during the day will assist with relaxation at night while avoiding electronics two hours before bedtime can provide greater ease with falling asleep. Light plays a vital role in controlling our body’s natural Circadian Rhythms. Sunlight is registered through special cells in the eyes, making it the primary source of information used by the body to regulate its sleep/wake cycle. When it is light outside, signals are sent to the brain telling it to stay alert and awake, while during darkness they produce melatonin which helps us feel drowsy and fall asleep. Our bodies have evolved to naturally sync with our surroundings and so by exposing ourselves to more natural light in the morning and dimming the lights at night, we can help restore balance within these rhythms. This allows us to enjoy better quality sleep, improved cognitive functioning and overall mood levels. The Circadian Rhythm is an important part of our lives, and it affects various body processes such as sleep, hunger, and energy levels. To make sure your body is regulating itself correctly, it is important to maintain a healthy daily lifestyle. Some tips to keep in mind when trying to keep our Circadian Rhythm on track are to wake up and go to bed at consistent times each day, exercise for at least 30 minutes per day outside if possible, reduce screen time towards the end of the evening, avoid caffeine or large meals too close to bedtime, and ensure you get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. By implementing these easy things into your daily routine you will be able to make sure your Circadian Rhythm is running smoothly. It’s clear that having a healthy Circadian Rhythm is a key factor in leading a well-balanced life. Implementing daily lifestyle habits that incorporate diet, exercise, and limit screen time can all contribute to helping keep your body clock ticking correctly. To further support good sleep hygiene, eating certain foods like salmon, tuna, walnuts and consuming products like tart cherry juice are just some of the natural remedies we can use to assist in achieving the highest level of physiologic health. Lastly, maintaining optimal exposure and avoiding melatonin-suppressing blue light will help better regulate our Circadian Rhythms and maximize our productivity during the day. Ultimately these tips were presented to provide us more insight on how Circadian Rhythms can tremendously impact us physically, mentally and emotionally; so make sure you take the necessary steps to have a regular sleep-wake cycle for total overall well being.