How to Support Your Circadian Rhythm for Better Health
When your lifestyle is at odds with your internal body clock (your circadian rhythm), it can cause everything from fatigue to insomnia, anxiety, depression, weight gain, and more.
Whether or not you’ve disrupted your circadian rhythm yet or not, anybody can begin TODAY to live in better alignment with their circadian rhythms.
LIFESTYLE HACKS
☀️ Get Natural Daytime Light
The most powerful external influence on your circadian rhythm is the 24-hour light-dark cycle. If you expose yourself to bright light shortly after waking in the morning, you will feel more alert during the day and fall asleep more easily at night.
💡 Consider Light Therapy
Light therapy boxes or lamps emit light that simulates sunshine indoors (without the sunburn effects). If used in the morning, they may help to support energy and mood while resetting the circadian rhythm or hormones, like melatonin. (tip: look for a light that provides 10,000 LUX)
📱 Shut Down Screens at Night
Humans evolved with dark nights until electricity was invented about a century ago. Screens are especially problematic at night because of the blue light they emit—suppressing melatonin just when it should be on the rise. Can’t skip the screen? Try blue-blocking eyewear.
🍏 Try Intermittent Fasting
Our digestion and ability to manage blood sugar levels fluctuate on a daily rhythm. Studies suggest that restricting the eating window to certain hours of the day may align with our internal metabolic rhythms and support a healthy metabolism.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Light and dark exposure are not the ONLY ways to influence your circadian rhythm!
There are two key hormones that regulate your daily rhythms, and they not only respond to the light-dark cycle but also to the foods we eat and supplements we take.
They are melatonin & cortisol.
The natural and healthy cycle of these hormones goes like this:
☀️In the morning, cortisol rises to make us alert and energized (and melatonin is at its lowest)
🌙 At night, melatonin rises to make us relaxed and sleepy (and cortisol falls to its lowest)
Some people who experience circadian disruption also lose this natural rhythm of hormone fluctuations. Maybe their cortisol stays low all day, maybe it rises at night, or maybe their melatonin doesn’t rise high enough.
There can be many scenarios (that’s why we test!), but the good news is that we can use supplements to support these natural rhythms.
For example:
💊 Melatonin can be taken at night to support sleep. I typically start with low doses of melatonin in a 1mg lozenge, although some prefer a controlled-release product that releases some melatonin immediately and more melatonin later in the night.
💊 Phosphatidylserine can be taken at night to support a healthy cortisol pattern. I use Cortisol Manager often in my stressed female patients with poor sleep, this blend contains phosphatidylserine.
💊 Adaptogenic herbs (like ashwagandha and ginseng) can be taken during the day or night to support the daily cortisol rhythm. Cortisol Manager also contains adaptogenic herbs.
💊 Calming nutrients can help to activate GABA, our “relaxing” neurotransmitter that promotes better sleep. Best Rest is a calming sleep blend that has been a client-favorite in my store for years. I also frequently recommend l-theanine and CBD to promote calm and rest.
Please consider this info to be educational rather than prescriptive. If you struggle with energy or sleep and want to support your circadian rhythm, please work with a qualified practitioner.
Do you have disrupted sleep? Are you ready to learn more about where you might not be in balance and what to do about it? Contact us to schedule an appointment - and we can create a personalized plan based on your history, symptoms, and laboratory values.