Your Circadian Rhythm Clock
Every organ in your body has its own clock and different organs work at different times throughout the day. All of this is based on the 24 hour day, our sleeping cycle and sunlight. There is tons of new evidence that proves the existence of this clock and shows the importance of understanding its function.
My first exposure to this concept was in Kung Fu in 1985 and was taught that the certain attacks to different organs at different times of the day could produce different results and even death. I was explained that if you step on a nail at a certain time when the correponding organ was in full operation, it would kill you. This also applies to impacts on the meridians that correspond to different organs (this is reflexology}. This concept has existed for thousands of years to traditional medicine practitioners like Traditional Chinese Medicine (aka TCM). Now there is new information that provides irrefutable proof of its existence.
There are many new evidence based diets that are moving towards intermittent fasting patterns such as diets where you fast for 16 hours and eat for 8 (aka 16/8), or diets that impose at least 12 hours of fasting before eating in the morning. Our dinner time used to be strictly at 6pm. Why did our forefathers call our first meal of the day break-fast which is, incidentally the same in spanish des-ayuno.
According to clinical studies and other evidence, the consumption of food after 6 pm doesn’t get properly metabolized and ends up getting stored as fat. If you eat the same amount of food before 6 pm, it doesn’t get stored as fat. It has proven beneficial for reducing weight and fighting diabetes.
There are several factors that influence your circadian rhythm and they are outlined in a Pubmed study which is linked at the bottom of this article. Here is an excerpt:”Mammalian circadian rhythms are driven by a master clock, within the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus, and peripheral clocks located throughout the body . For the circadian system to function optimally, individual clocks must be correctly synchronized to one another and to the external environment. Abnormal circadian rhythms or defects in synchronization pathways can result in circadian misalignment or desynchrony, which are associated with poor health and metabolic disorders [4, 5]. In most individuals, the SCN clock is set to solar time by photic input pathways originating in the retina ; the SCN then synchronize peripheral clocks through neuronal pathways, hormone rhythms, core body temperature, and behaviors such as the cycle of feeding and fasting .
In short your organs have clocks and operate at different intensities throughout the day. It is important to know when that is to ensure proper metabolism and optimum health.
Here’s to your Zensational health!