Twice a year, the clocks change. For many people, this is a nightmare, as it takes days or weeks to get back into a regular wake-sleep rhythm.
Are you one of them? Then learn everything about chronobiology and how you can better utilize your biorhythm.
Table of contents
1. What is chronobiology?
The term "chronobiology" is derived from the Greek words for time (chronos) and life (bio). Accordingly, chronobiology deals with the connection between time and life .
How do cells react over a certain period of time? What influence do day and night, light and dark, have on the body? And how does life change with the seasons? Researchers have been trying to explore these and many other fascinating questions in more detail for decades.
Sounds a bit abstract? Maybe, but you actually deal with chronobiology every day without even realizing it.
Falling asleep, waking up, getting hungry, peak performance, slump performance – all of this has to do with chronobiology. However, this area becomes a major topic at least twice a year , when the clocks change from winter to summer time and vice versa. This is when your biorhythm is put to the test.
2. A short history of time
Until the 13th century, sundials or water clocks were the only timekeeping devices. Minutes and seconds didn't exist back then, only a rough indication of the hours.
Only later, with the invention of the clock, did people begin to measure time more accurately; the division into a 24-hour day, with 60 minutes per hour and 60 seconds per minute, was created.
While this helped people organize their time, the body—or more precisely, its cells—continued to maintain its own rhythm. While people listened to their internal clock hundreds of years ago , today, due to modern lifestyles, they constantly struggle against it .
3. Chronobiology - the body's natural rhythm
Imagine the alarm clock, time pressure, and stress of deadlines away and focus entirely on your body: How would it react? When it gets light outside, you wake up. When the sun sets and it gets dark, you get tired and sleep.
When your body needs nutrients, you get hungry. If it's cold outside in winter, you start shivering to produce heat. If it's too hot in summer, your body's automatic air conditioning system kicks in, and you start sweating.
Actually, everything has its own regular routine. Unfortunately , these days there's no time to listen to the body's natural rhythm.
Appointments dictate your daily routine and completely disrupt your circadian rhythm . It's no wonder this can lead to disruptions in performance.
Without an external clock, the organism would respond to completely different clocks. The natural timing of life would much prefer to follow these different rhythms:
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Circaannual rhythms : These are the natural annual rhythms (circa = approximately, annus = year). They last approximately 365 days and describe the time it takes the Earth to orbit the sun once.
The body changes over the seasons. In winter, our metabolism slows down somewhat, but in summer, we're ready to perform at peak performance. We notice this change in spring as spring fatigue. Body temperature and heart rate are also different in winter than in summer.
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Circalunar rhythms : These describe the time periods determined by the phases of the moon (circa = approximately, luna = moon). The moon takes about a month to complete one orbit.
During this time, gravitational force changes, which is best seen in the ocean's tides. Women are also familiar with this cycle, as menstruation also follows this monthly pattern.
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Circadian rhythms : These follow the daily rhythm of 24 hours, including day and night, waking and sleeping phases (circa = approximately, dies = day). This rhythm determines metabolism and all bodily functions. However, instead of minutes and seconds, these are measured in heart rate, respiration, or blood pressure.
Brain function, digestion, hunger, and muscle tone also change throughout the day. For example, the brain and digestion work at full speed during the day, but calm down at night. Instead, other hormones are produced during sleep , such as the sleep hormone melatonin .
For chronobiology research , the circadian rhythm is of particular interest because strong fluctuations here can lead to illness and depression .
Since every person has their own circadian rhythm , which is anchored in their cells, the 24-hour model cannot really be generalized . One person may have an individual daily rhythm of 24.7 hours, while another may only have 23.9 hours.
The actual internal clock deviates minimally from the external 24-hour clock, which sometimes has a greater, sometimes lesser effect on performance.
Take-Home Message #1: The body’s cells have their own unique time structure, which follows a natural, individual rhythm.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : If your circadian rhythm is out of whack, you can support it with additional melatonin. Our SLEEP Capsules and SLEEP SPRAY both contain melatonin, which, taken shortly before bed, helps you fall asleep faster.
4. The influence of light on the internal clock
Light has a major influence on our biorhythms. Depending on the brightness and composition of the light rays, the body releases various hormones that have different functions.
The light rays are transmitted via receptors in the eye to the brain, where the pineal gland and pituitary gland process the information. The suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN for short, contains all the nerve cells waiting to transmit the signals.
The sun's bright daylight contains a high proportion of blue light . The brighter and therefore bluer the light during the day, the more the production of melatonin is suppressed , thus putting the body into wakefulness mode.
At the same time, organs and metabolic functions are stimulated, and the brain and body are ready to perform.
The darker the light becomes with sunset, the less blue it contains. This means the pineal gland is no longer prevented from releasing the sleep hormone.
So it produces melatonin, which prepares the body for a good night's sleep. In the early morning hours, however, the stress hormone cortisol begins to be produced , which pushes the body back to performance.
Since every cell and every organ has its own clockwork, so to speak, the entire organism must constantly synchronize itself so that all functions can run smoothly.
Liver, kidneys, intestines, skin, immune system—everything must be in sync for you to achieve optimal performance. The brain, as the main control center, is responsible for harmony within the organism. This brings us back to the light signals received through the eyes.
5. Disturbing factors for the biorhythm
Actually, it's all a completely natural process that works on its own. But why do so many people suffer from sleep problems? Quite simply: Because we're constantly working against this natural balance. There are several factors for this:
- Jet lag : Constant travel to distant countries also disrupts your circadian rhythm. Jet lag is the phenomenon that many people experience even before a long flight. The time difference in other countries completely disrupts the body's normal rhythm.
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Artificial light : We are constantly surrounded by artificial light, which affects normal bodily functions. In particular, the light from LED lamps, which is now widely used for energy-saving measures, contains a high proportion of blue light .
The same goes for LCD screens, smartphones, and tablets, which have become our constant companions these days. This, of course, completely disrupts hormone production, as there's no longer a transition from the waking to the sleeping phase.
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Shift work : Shift work is also the enemy of the biorhythm . The constant switching between day and night shifts completely disrupts the organism. A study by Henrik Oster, a chronobiology researcher at the University of Lübeck, demonstrates the effects on the health and performance of shift workers [1].
Irregular sleep-wake rhythms have been shown to cause metabolic disturbances , a weakened immune system , a reduced resistance to stress , and a susceptibility to inflammation. Another study in mice showed that interrupted and irregular sleep impairs metabolism and cognitive abilities [2].
The extent to which metabolism and fat burning suffer from a disturbed sleep rhythm was also confirmed in a study by the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen [3].
The study revealed a clear tendency toward obesity in mice disrupted from their normal sleep patterns. Fat breakdown works differently during the day than at night. If this process is disrupted, fatty acids are no longer metabolized but deposited.
The liver is geared toward metabolism and processing food during the day. However, if this food isn't delivered until night, the liver has a problem. The "slimming while you sleep" formula is certainly valid, provided sleep is regular and long enough.
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Time change : Last but not least, the biannual time change is very difficult for many people. Even if it's only an hour's difference, the natural wake-sleep rhythm is disrupted.
Brain performance, digestion and the immune system need some time until the external and internal clocks have adjusted to each other.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : If you have general sleep problems, irregular sleep schedules due to shift work, or jet lag while traveling, you can supply your body with melatonin supplements like our SLEEP Capsules and SLEEP SPRAY . This also helps prepare your body for the biannual time change.
Take-Home Message #2: Modern lifestyles constantly work against our natural biorhythms. Light, working hours, and time differences repeatedly throw our bodies out of balance.
How to use your biorhythm optimally
There are two classic chronotypes that are genetically determined and cannot be retrained:
- Early riser (lark type)
- Late riser (owl type)
For some, the motto is "the early bird catches the worm," while others are more likely to be "late night owls." Various studies demonstrate that these types do themselves no favors by constantly working against their inherent biorhythms .
Nevertheless, many people in the workplace have to adhere to prescribed working hours that go against their chronotype. Chronobiologist Till Roenneberg describes this condition as " social jet lag ," which can lead to health problems sooner or later [4]. Therefore, larks and owls should, if possible, adapt their wake-sleep rhythm to their type.
Do you already have a regular wake-sleep rhythm? Congratulations! But even then, you're probably familiar with the slump in performance that manifests itself several times during the day.
Your concentration wanes, your thoughts keep wandering, and you feel somewhat sluggish. From a chronobiological perspective, this is perfectly normal, as your performance curve continually declines and increases throughout the day .
To use your brainpower even more effectively , you should observe your own performance peaks . When are you mentally fit and receptive? When do you experience a low?
Accordingly, you should plan tasks that require your full mental attention for your peak phase . Small tasks that can be done on the side will be completed during your low performance. And if you ever find yourself in a total slump, a short walk in the fresh air will bring you back to peak performance.
In general, the times from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. are considered to be high-performance phases , while at midday and after 6 p.m. there is more of a mental lull .
But everyone is different, so you should create your personal performance curve over a few days and weeks.
Nutrition is, of course, crucial for optimal performance . Without brain food, there's no brainpower . Listen to your natural hunger; it tells you exactly when your body needs fresh nutrients for renewed energy.
Take-Home Message #3: Find your chronotype and monitor your personal performance curve. This way, you'll recognize your performance peaks and be able to make the most of them.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : In our shop, you'll find not only nutritional supplements, but also brain food and smart snacks to support your mental performance. For long-lasting energy without carbohydrates, we recommend our SOULFUEL BAR .
6. Conclusion
Chronobiology describes the connection between time and life. This refers to how our internal clock controls our daily routine. In simple terms, there are early risers and late sleepers who are still active late into the evening.
Your so-called biorhythm can be thrown off balance by various factors. These include jet lag, shift work, and even the change from daylight saving time to winter time, which can temporarily throw your body clock out of sync.
If you constantly fight against your biorhythm and throw it out of balance, this can have a negative impact on your mental and physical performance and also lead to health disadvantages.
7. Sources
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26059855
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28444394
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3712056/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16687322
