Circadian Rhythm: Your Untapped Source for Managing Your Mental Health
10 Ways to Manage Your Circadian Rhythm (your hormones and stress will thank you)
There was a time when I would say that the only way you’d see me run is if I was being chased by zombies. At some point, maybe 10 years ago, I actually felt like going for a run. Believe me, I was asking myself: WHO ARE YOU? But that stuck. And, I actually enjoy it now – I’ve adopted the Zombieland edict of Rule 1: Cardio. It’s been a while since I’ve been out running. Turns out my 44 (almost 45-year-old) knees are just a little more finicky than they ever were, so I’ve had to be cautious for a few months.
That changed this morning. This morning, I went for a run – well, maybe a jog is a more honest description. I was only aiming for a mile; I told myself I could go as slowly as I wanted but I wasn’t allowed to stop or walk (this works for me, my pace and my breath … don’t try this if you aren’t aware of or comfortable with your boundaries). My mile turned into 1.5 miles with a fairly decent pace, considering it had been months since my last run/jog.
It was an overcast morning and, honestly, cooler than I was expecting, but being by the water, feeling the wind on my face, and having some fun music blasting in my ears literally had me smiling on several occasions. I’m sure I looked like a complete weirdo … running and smiling. Who does that?
Circadian Rhythm
I enjoy being out there in the semi-early morning; I’m fortunate enough to live by a state park that is well-loved by walkers, runners, bicyclists … even a rollerblader is seen every now and then. Being out in the morning, especially when the sun is shining, is one of my favorite ways to manage my circadian rhythm, proactively manage my stress and cortisol levels, and start my day with knowing I’m doing a favor for my mental health (both from the Vitamin D from the sunshine and the endorphins and dopamine boost from the exercise).
I tend to believe that stress lives at the juicy intersection of gut health, hormones and sleep – yes, there is a mental/emotional component, but your emotions and mental state are affected by your gut health, hormones (and neurotransmitters) and sleep. It’s a cyclical impact, really: Emotions affect gut health, hormones and sleep; sleep, gut health, and hormones affect emotions. Which is exactly why I focus on all three areas.
When we think of sleep, we don’t usually think of our complete circadian rhythm, but it’s really what sets us up for sleep success. I love knowing I have opportunities throughout the day to help me get better sleep at night. Great sleep starts in the day – not just when your head hits the pillow.
What exactly is Circadian Rhythm?
Circadian rhythm is our 24-hour internal clock that regulates our sleep/wake cycles – it’s our brain’s regulation of our alertness and sleepiness in response to changes of light in our environment. Our circadian rhythm regulates our melatonin-cortisol cycle, which are the hormones needed to help signal sleep and waking. Yes, melatonin is a hormone! When you think of it that way, it’s almost freaky that we can just go buy a bottle of hormones from any old grocery store or website (check out my previous article about melatonin supplements … be careful out there!). And, yes! The same cortisol hormone that is associated with being a primary stress hormone also plays a key role in our circadian rhythm; our cortisol levels have a rhythm and change throughout the day (one reason why you should be wary of any cortisol test that only measures it at one point in the day … it’s not a complete picture of your cortisol levels or rhythm). Cortisol often gets a bad wrap, but like every other hormone, neurotransmitter, and endogenous chemical in the body it simply isn’t straight-forward to say it’s “bad” or “good.”
Fun Fact: Women and men have slightly different circadian rhythms as do adolescents.
Proactively managing our circadian rhythm during the DAY can help set us up for a good night’s sleep. Additionally, disrupted circadian rhythms are linked to several chronic conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, diabetes, obesity, seasonal affective disorder, some sleep disorders, and specific circadian rhythm disorders, like Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder.
If you’re wondering what disruptions to circadian rhythm feels like, think about the effects from jet lag or shift work. Common jet lag symptoms are similar to inadequate sleep or poor quality sleep: daytime sleepiness, decreased alertness, and compromised cognitive performance. For active adults and athletes, it also can mean decreased physical performance that can increase risk of injury.
Circadian Rhythm and Hormones
Hormones and neurotransmitters are workhorses of our wellbeing – properly functioning and/or supported hormones and neurotransmitters are often a key part of the big picture of our mental (and physical) health. They regulate everything in the body from your metabolic health (Insulin sensitivity, how cholesterol is used in the body, the rate of your metabolism) to your reproductive health, to your mood, stress response, and, as mentioned above, your ability to tell your body when to get sleepy and when to wake up.
Your circadian rhythm affects many of your hormones, neurotransmitters and biomarkers, not just cortisol and melatonin. For instance, the time of day and your sleep patterns have a tremendous amount of influence on iron levels (and transferrin saturation) in your body – sleep patterns have an even bigger effect than meals/food intake. These effects extend to iron supplements (which are generally best taken in the morning and every other day).
Cortisol typically rises around waking and reaches its peak between 7-8 a.m. (this is generalized, it may vary for you), then should decrease throughout the day. It may rise and fall outside of its circadian rhythm cycle based on how often our stress response is triggered. Similar to insulin, if we start the day with a large spike or sustained high levels, there’s a much higher likelihood that we experience higher spikes throughout the day – put another away: The baseline you start the day with is a big determining factor for your response and levels throughout the day. This is one reason why starting the day with some sunshine, physical activity, and grounding practices (mediation, journaling) can be so beneficial.
10 Ways to Manage Your Circadian Rhythm
Here are a few things to try throughout the day to help regulate your circadian rhythm and support a great night’s sleep … all day long.
1: Wake and sleep with the sun (this obviously can be a challenge depending on what you have going on in life)
If you want to give it a try, just note that I don’t mean going to sleep the precise minute the sun sets … in the winter time that would be hella early. Instead, consider your wake time and then back it up by 8 hours. We all know we should, ideally, get 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night – that’s not always realistic. If you aim for getting in bed with 8 hours set aside, that can account for falling asleep time and any other times you may wake up in the middle of the night. If 7or 8 hours is just a non-starter for you – because life – make the best of the time you have. I always say I’d rather a client get a really solid 6 hours (or whatever they can) than a shitty 8. As with most things: Quality over quantity
2: Go to sleep and wake up around the same time every day, even on the weekends
This helps reinforce routine which affects your body’s individual rhythm.
3: Synchronize the busy part of your day with when you feel the most energized
I used to be a night owl in my 20s, feeling more creative and focused around 11 p.m., this shifted over the years, and I now feel like I do my best work between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Again, this may have limitations based on your work hours, other family members, etc.
4: Get early morning sunshine exposure
Stand facing the sun in the early morning hours for 10 minutes. It’s best not to do this in the afternoon when the sun gets too hot and can be damaging. Early morning sunshine reinforces the light component of the circadian rhythm and helps synthesize Vitamin D, which is important for your health and mental health.
5: Start the day with physical activity and/or grounding practices
Physical activity has many benefits for mental (and physical) health and grounding practices can help start your day with less sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight/freeze) activation.
6: Take a post-lunch walk for 10-20 minutes
This is great for your insulin, but it’s also great for your nervous system and circadian rhythm. Consider this like cortisol training; your helping to bring down stress levels to keep that cortisol in check (this is even more important if you’re having a stressful day).
7: Instead of using your phone alarm or an audible alarm to wake up, try a light alarm
There are several that mimic a sunrise, this can work with your circadian rhythm for a gentler waking experience rather than be jolted awake. That said, I have one of these alarms and it does a beautiful job, but I have slept right on through the light. It works 95% of the time for me. BUT, it never hurts to set a back-up alarm on those days you have a non-negotiable time by which you need to be out of bed or when you’re going to bed dead tired and the likelihood of sleeping through are high.
8: Limit screen usage 1 hour before bed
Blue light from screens can prohibit the release of melatonin as it mimics the type of light associated with day light. I would go so far to say turn off all screens 1 hour before bed and opt for audio or analog entertainment … it’s a great time for a low-key audio book, a relaxing podcast (skip the politics and news, if they get you fired up; similarly skip the true crime, if they freak you out), do a puzzle, journal, create art, read a book, etc.
9: Turn on red lights 30-min to 1 hour before bed
If you have color-changing LED bulbs, take advantage of the color range and turn the bulbs to red. This helps signal to the body that it should prepare for sleep and start producing melatonin, if it hasn’t already.
10: Avoid stimulants, whether caffeine or other substances, after Noon
Caffeine has a half-life of 5-6 hours, which means it can take 10-12 hours for the body to clear it … long after you’ve stopped feeling the immediate effects – just because you can’t feel it anymore, doesn’t mean it isn’t still affecting your body.
References
Physiology, Circadian Rhythm. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519507/
Sleeplessness and Circadian Disorder. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534238/
Cortisol on Circadian Rhythm and Its Effect on Cardiovascular System. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7830980/
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This was an awesome read Helena! Never knew much about circadian rythmn when it came to hormones and I had no idea that it affected our hormones like that as well! Dang, gotta have a better clock, haha. I’ve definitely improved over the years since I used to have insomnia, but now I’m going to sleep at an adequate time but sometimes I just get that urge to stay up a bit later l.💪❤️