Where and how you begin your Circadian journey depends on your situation. Yet as unique as your health, context, and environment is, you will benefit from greater alignment and a better support structure. That structure and the foundation of your health, now and in the future, is your daily rhythm. And the more your rhythm is in harmony with nature’s rhythm at your location, the more benefits you will reap.
Habits, rhythm and entrainment
Hence you want to start building a more aligned circadian rhythm, one habit at a time. As you may know, consistency is the key to success with any new routine. Showing up daily, even in small increments, leads to the formation of neural pathways in the brain. Over time these pathways become more robust, and the behavior becomes part of you and your lifestyle. The more reliable your rhythm becomes, the better your body can anticipate what it needs to do and when. This is called entrainment.
Deviating from your daily rhythm is a circadian disruption. This compromises your health and the formation of new healthy habits, especially in the first six weeks when aiming to create a new, supportive rhythm. Thus aim to be super consistent with implementing your new routine.
To be Circadian successful, you have to be what most aren’t: consistent.
– Dr Jack Kruse
Behaviours to start with
So what behaviour do you choose to implement first? This is going to be an individual answer. But from a circadian point of view, you will likely get the biggest bang for your commitment from greater alignment with light/dark, activity/rest, and damage/repair cycles. After all, light creates, shapes and orchestrates life.
Hence the most impactful behaviours to choose from are:
- Getting a big dose of natural light upon waking (ideally at sunrise). Read the “light/dark” and “sunrise” chapters in the learn section for more context.
- Stop eating at least 3-4 hours before your bedtime. Read the “eat” chapter in the learn section for details.
- Wearing night-time blue blockers after sunset. Refer to the chapters “artificial light” and “blue blockers” in the learn section.
- Going to bed at the same time. The chapter on “sleep” will give you more insight.
- Rising at the same time (ideally around sunrise). Please read the “sleep” and “sunrise” chapters in the app.
Go slow and steady
To get started, please choose one of the above behaviours and implement it every single day for at least one month—better two. Use Circadian to set an alarm for your selected habit. This way, it is less likely that you will miss it. When the alarm goes off, remember why you are making this lifestyle change and aim to be impeccable. Ultimately, no one but yourself is responsible for your health and well-being.
Once you have integrated your new routine for 6-8 weeks, you are likely ready to start implementing your next circadian lifestyle habit. Which one will it be? Also, keep in mind that the changes you are making are not intended to be done for a while and then forgotten. Living in alignment with nature and hence your body is a way of life. It will impact everything.
Build a relationship
Another focus is to build awareness of and a relationship with your environment. This takes time and can’t be rushed. Over time you will become aware of the subtle daily and seasonal changes. You might start to notice where the sun rises at different times of the year, how the light changes throughout the day, what grows when, the migration of animals, the phases of the moon etc. In short, you will start relating to various aspects of your environment.
This is crucial. Not only does it anchor and ground you in the physical world, but it also slows you down and brings a new level of intimacy into your life. You can think of it as a newfound, supportive friendship or kinship with the world around you. All you need to do is start paying attention to the world around you when you implement your new circadian habit(s). Let yourself be surprised by what follows.
True health comes from our connection to the world around us.
– Dr Catherine Clinton
Expect difficulties
One issue that will arise is the conflict your new habit(s) will create with your social environment. Unfortunately, industrialised societies and corresponding social norms adhere to an artificial schedule divorced from nature. Hence, friction is inevitable when you shift from a social to the natural rhythm of your environment.
We are a society of indoor dwellers that make days dark and illuminate the nights. We effectively live under an alien sun 24/7, 365 days a year. It is difficult to depart from this constructed artificial reality. But it is worth it. You are worth it! Once you play by nature’s laws again, you will feel so much better, so much fuller, so much more alive. If you need a jump start to get going, to overcome an injury/disease, lack of energy, brain fog, depression/anxiety or similar, try the X39 patch. More details are in our blog: Stem cells, peptides & light – the magic of the X39 patch.
It is time to reinvent your lifestyle. Let Circadian be your guide.
