Preface¶
- To have rhythm, to be in sync, is to be healthy, But not just any rhythm will do.
- Living longer does not always mean living healthier
- We have found that simply adjusting the time of how we live -- and making easy lifestyle changes is the secret to restoring our rhythm, and it will surely be the next revolution in health care.
- Circadian comes from the Latin circa meaning "around"/"approximately" and diem meaning day.
- Luckily it is easy to get back in sync. We can optimize our clocks in just a few days.
- A sleep deprived brain is more dangerous than a brain under the influence of alcohol.
- An elusive blue light sensor in the eye's retina that sends light signals to the brain clock to tell it when it is morning and when it is night.
- To have a predictable circadian rhythm is to have healthy organs.
- In most chronic diseases clock function is compromised.
- Just like the first light of the morning resets our brain clock, the first bite of the morning resets all other organ clocks.
- Mice that eat the same number of calories from the same foods within 12 hours or less everyday are completely protected from obesity, diabetes, liver and heart disease.
- The truth about chronic disease is that there is rarely a cure.
- This book and the method discussed is more than a diet. It is a lifestyle.
- Most of the diseases that affect us in adulthood can be traced back to circadian disruption.
The Circadian Clock¶
We Are all Shift Workers¶
- 1 late night of partying can be just as disruptive as travelling from one time zone to another. That's why we call it social jet lag.
- Roughly 87% of adults have social jet lag and go to bed at lease 2 hours later on the weekend.
- A brain on shift work cannot make rational decisions.
- A single night shift has cognitive effects that can last a week.
- A few days of reduced sleep can change out appetite, both for the kinds of foods we crave and how much we want to eat when we stay awake at night.
- Children of shift workers had more cognitive, behavioral problems and higher incidence of obesity
- WHO for Cancer has classified shift work as potential carcinogen.
- Who is a shift worker?
- A person who stays awake for more than 3 hours between 10.00 pm and 5.00 am for more than 50 days in a year fits the official European definition of shift worker.
- Digital Jet lag: This happens when you chat with friends or colleagues are several time zones away.
- At night, plants leaves can drop, because it would be a waste of energy to keep the laves raised.
- Circadian rhythm is not exactly 24 hours; even the time of the day is not precisely 24 hours.
- Waking Up
- When daylight lengthens as we approach summer, our internal clock wakes us up at a slightly earlier time in the morning.
- Interestingly, your evening activities have a large effect on your circadian rhythm.
- Even before you wake up, your internal clock starts working by starting to shut down the production of the sleep hormone melatonin from our pineal gland.
- Our breathing becomes slightly faster and our heartbeat picks up a few beats per minute.
- Our core body temperature notches up half a degree even before we open our eyes.
- Our entire sens e of health is guided by our daily rhythms.
- The brain is primed for learning and problem solving in the first half of the day.
- In the afternoon, we feel healthy if we have accomplished enough work to feel satisfied with our efforts.