The Code That Controls Everything

There is this code that is written in our genes that controls our sleep, our energy and motivation, as well as our overall health and wellbeing. This code is called the circadian rhythm. In this article I will examine what it is exactly, how it is impacting us and most importantly how we can use this code to improve our health and life.

If you haven't heard circadian rhythms - they are real biological processes that every plant, animal, and human exhibits over the course of a day. These rhythms are controlled by internal clocks. Almost every and each of our cells contains one of these clocks, and each is programmed to turn on or off thousands of genes at different times of the day or night. It is almost like a computer code - it is perfectly designed and runs in a precise manner. A lot of modern diseases are lifestyle diseases and they are caused or influenced by disruption of the circadian rhythm, such as diabetes, cancer, dementia, migraine, depression, and digestive problems (acid reflux, heartburn, and irritable bowel disease).

The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms that control circadian rhythms. Additional research has also been done by Dr. R.Satchin Panda on this emerging and fascinating field.

So what controls the circadian rhythms exactly?

In short, you need to let your body know what time it is in a day (calibrate the clocks) through viewing natural sunlight and regulating your eating schedule. If you could imagine your organs are all contained in a void, the sunlight our eyes perceive turns on our body organs and systems. Hey, it is 9 am on a spring morning, let’s get to do some work! Our body also secretes dopamine to motivate us to work, serotonin to feel good about ourselves, and sex hormones to feel sexy or sensual. Without this trigger, our body literally is in the dark and the systems just don’t know when to get to work. Therefore, daytime light viewing is crucial for all our optional bodily functions including sleep! Because our sleep time is also written in the code! When you wake up and view the sunlight, it sets the clock. When the dark comes, the other hormones will be suppressed and melatonin will kick in and put us into sleep. During sleep, the clocks also regulate memory consolidation and body repairment. The repairs include organs, cells, and even our genes!

Your eating schedule matters a lot too. With the first bite when you wake up, your stomach will switch on its clock and process the food. Other clocks in your liver, muscles, and pancreas will also take note of the breakfast time and work optimally for about 8 to 10 hours. After that, your digestive organs can still work but at a much slower pace. If you eat late at night, you will have a sense of indigestion or acid reflux. So if you’ve wondered why diets haven’t worked for you before, the timing might be the reason. Even if you were diligently exercising, counting calories, avoiding fats, carbs, and sweets, it is quietly likely that you were not respecting your circadian clocks. If you eat late at night or start breakfast at a wildly different time each morning, you are constantly throwing your body out of sync.

However, once we understand the code, fixing it is so simple. Other than reversing or preventing lifestyle diseases, you can also benefit your physical and mental health by having good sleep, higher productivity, optional hormonal balance, stronger immune system, better brain function, and mood!

Here is how to reset your body clock:

1. Get the first ray of light, walk or run outside for at least 3 - 10 minutes

2. Daily Outdoor > 1h or sit close to the window/open the window if you can (Of course, you want to do it safely, never look into the sky if you have to squint)!

3. Lower/dim light in the evening

4. No screen time or wear blue-light block glasses 2 hr before bed

5. No light during sleep

6. Time-restricted eating: 8 - 10 hr window, start with breakfast > 1h after awake and last meal at least 2 hr before sleep

7. Set a regular time for meals, or at least breakfast