Do you ever feel like you constantly need a nap during the day? Always so tired, can’t sleep, can’t wake up? The problem might be your circadian rhythm? Here are 10 Achievable Ways to Reset Your Circadian Rhythm Today.
What if we all woke up well-rested and ready to conquer the day? What if we all went to sleep when we were tired and actually got a good night’s sleep? The truth is, we all can. But somewhere along with our busy schedules, we lost how to do just that… sleep. I’m not talking about getting 8 hours of sleep even though yes, that helps. But I am talking about good quality deep sleep. The kind that makes you wake up ready to conquer life and not drag yourself to get out of bed. I’m here to share tips on how to reset your circadian rhythm.
What is Your Circadian Rhythm?
Think of your circadian rhythm as your body’s internal alarm clock. It tells you when to wake up and when to go to sleep. In other words, when the sun rises, so do we, and when the sun sets, that’s when we should unwind for bed.
Think of this as nature working. When the sun goes down, all mammals go to sleep right? The more we are in harmony with nature, the more we will be in the right place at the right time, all the time. Nature provides seasonal changes, planet alignment, climate control. By being in sequence with nature, you will naturally be more aligned and in sync. So, if you’re a night person, like me, we are out-of-sync with life, and the idea is to sync up with nature.
Our circadian rhythm relies on sunlight that our eyes are exposed to. It communicates with our brain to get our bodies moving and also helps produce melatonin and cortisol. In the morning, our cortisol level should be at its peak and then lower as we get into the evening.
The evening is when we produce melatonin to help us sleep. If you are going to bed late, waking up in the middle of the night, your melatonin levels would be lower than someone who is more in alignment.
Critical Activities During Sleep State
When we get a good night’s sleep, there are a few important things that happen to us to keep us functioning properly.
- Internal organs rest and recover: This is where our tissues repairs, muscle grows, and protein synthesis occurs
- Hormones are released: This is what regulates our appetite, stress, growth, metabolism, etc…
- Memory consolidation occurs: This is where our brains create new memory storage
Benefits of Resetting Your Circadian Rhythm
Here’s what happens to your body when you reset your circadian rhythm.
- Strengthens the immune system
- Improve digestion
- Menstrual cycle regulation
- Increased energy levels
- Alertness, focus, creativity
- Mood improvement
- Increased libido
- Better sleep
Circadian Rhythm Disruption
- Jet Leg
- Shift work
- Sleeping disorders
- Late-night screen time (tablets, phone, television)
- Stress
10 Achievable Ways To Reset Your Circadian Rhythm
There are several factors that contribute to how well we sleep including what and when we eat (Nutrition), where we sleep (Energy), and our energy output during the day (Daily Rhythms).
NUTRITION: What and when we eat can play a HUGE role in how we sleep. Eating too late in the evening or a heavy meal for dinner requires more digestion which = more energy and a lack of sleep.
- Limit sugar and caffeine
- Eat your larger meals for breakfast and lunch. Light meals and night
- Increase real foods like fruits and vegetables
ENVIRONMENT: Creating a peaceful space will help with sleep and resetting your circadian rhythm. Here are some tips on how to do this.
- Clean out the clutter in your bedroom such as laundry, work stuff, etc…
- Remove electronics from your room including TVs, computers, laptops, video games, tablets, etc… This will help reduce blue light exposure which is signals to your body as natural sunlight and can prevent you from falling asleep and getting a good night’s sleep. If you have to work, watch television, etc… I recommend wearing good pair of blue light glasses at night and investing in some EMF protection for laptops. I use This Laptop Shield (use code: PTB20) when working. SOURCE
DAILY RHYTHMS: Creating healthy habits and routines is vital for maintaining our circadian rhythm.
- Create a bedtime routine: Go to bed and wake up around the same time each day
- Practice light restorative activities before bed such as meditation, restorative yoga, stretching, intimacy.
- Seek sunlight first thing in the morning. Get outside and enjoy your morning outside in natural sunlight. I like to sip on warm water with lemon outside barefoot.
- Write it down: before bed, if you have a long list of things running in your mind, jot them down. This will help you to not forget and to “let it all go” on paper so you can get a restful night.
- Exercise: each day, get some movement in whether it’s walking, running, cycling, yoga, HIIT. Find what you love and do it. This will help to regulate your hormones and release stress. But don’t work out too late in the evening as it can keep you up at night and increase cortisol levels.
Don’t waste any time and start to reset your circadian rhythm today.
Need Help?
If you need any help or assistance in resetting your Circadian Rhythm or want to work with me to help you achieve some personal health goals, email me at natalie@precioustimeblog.com to schedule a Health History Consultation.
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XO,
Natalie
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