Circadian Rhythms

Inside your body there is a tiny clock that tells you when it is time to wake up and when it is time to go to sleep. This clock is controlled by the sun; when it gets dark your brain makes a special sleepy juice called melatonin. When the sun comes up your clock tells your body to get ready for the day. It is like a song that your body plays every single day to stay on beat. Staying in a routine helps your clock stay perfect.

A song that your body plays every single day to stay on beat. You are not a machine that runs on a schedule. You are a rhythm. A twenty-four hour rhythm that has been playing since before you were born. The sun is the conductor. The melatonin is the tempo. The cortisol is the downbeat. And every cell in your body is an instrument in the orchestra. When you stay up too late staring at a screen, you are not just losing sleep. You are playing out of tune. And an orchestra out of tune does not just sound bad. It feels bad. Honor the rhythm. It was written into your DNA by four billion years of sunrises.

The SCN in the hypothalamus responds to retinal light signals, modulating melatonin from the pineal gland via clock genes PERIOD and CRYPTOCHROME. Honor the rhythm. It was written into your DNA by four billion years of sunrises.

SOUND: A rooster crowing or a gentle morning alarm: the sound of the rhythm resetting.

SMELL: Fresh morning air or pine trees: the scent the body associates with the opening chord.

TASTE: A cold crisp glass of water first thing in the morning: the taste of a new bar of the song.

TOUCH: Warm sunlight on your face: the skin reading the time without a clock.

SIGHT: A sunrise changing from purple to orange: the eyes setting the master clock.

BODY: A big morning stretch reaching for the ceiling: the body tuning its instrument for the day's performance.

Music: S.O.B. by Sam Barber

Music: Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin

Music: Treat People With Kindness by Harry Styles

Part of Dreams & Sleep — CONSCIOUSNESS — Education Revelation