Why Your Self-Care Routine Should Start with Getting Your Circadian Rhythm Right

When you think of self-care, there’s a good chance that your mind immediately goes to images of yoga, hot baths, and the occasional pampering session at a spa.

While all of these things can be great in their own right, though, there’s a lot of evidence out there coming from modern research that shows that the most important component in anyone's self-care routine should be getting their circadian rhythm right.

Here are a few reasons why your self-care routine should start with getting your circadian rhythm right.

Because your circadian rhythm is at the heart of your health, energy levels, and mental function.

According to the pioneering circadian rhythm researcher and author of “The Circadian Code,” Satchin Panda, your circadian rhythm is at the heart of good health, optimal energy levels, and optimal mental function.

There’s a lot of evidence that when our circadian rhythms are disrupted our brains deteriorate, and metabolic systems go wrong, and we end up perpetually exhausted. This is even true if you wake up early every day but experience a disrupted circadian rhythm due to poor light cues and eating habits.

The key is getting bright light exposure first thing in the morning – ideally from natural sunlight – and then reducing and minimizing light in the evening – especially blue light. Eating an early breakfast and having your last meal within approximately 10 hours of your first – and not too close to bedtime – is apparently also very important.

It’s hard to maintain any real sense of well-being if you are perpetually exhausted and run down, and feel as though you are not operating anywhere near your full potential.

Because inspiration and insight will come a lot more easily when you’re well-rested.

A big part of well-being in life has to do with exploring your passions, proactively pursuing new interests, and expressing your own sense of creativity.

A lot of people, for example, feel that their well-being is very significantly improved by taking up art, or working on a side business venture, whether that’s striving to create the next great product in the Baby Food Industry, or selling IT solutions.

It turns out that when you are well-rested and have your circadian rhythm operating properly, you are far more likely to be creative and inspired.

Proper sleep appears to be intimately connected to these things.

Because habits relating to your circadian rhythm are “master habits” that can affect many others.

The habits that relate to getting your circadian rhythm right – things like eating at set times during the day, dimming the lights in the evening, getting into bed early enough, and so on – are the same habits that frequently lead to a positive cascade effect that influences a variety of other habits downstream.

Getting more restful sleep and waking up earlier, for example, is likely to reduce procrastination in the morning, may make you feel more inspired to take up a fitness routine, and so on.

Suffice to say, this “positive spiral” is likely to do wonders for your sense of well-being.