The Circadian Code by Satchin Panda
In keeping with the theme of new beginnings, this January we introduced a book of the month. Join us as we work our way through books that highlight the importance of circadian and sleep health 😴 Up first: The Circadian Code by Satchin Panda of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.
We’ve been fans of Dr. Panda’s work for a long time! For more on his research, check out our blog post on time-restricted eating.
Chapter 3: “A healthy lifestyle includes what and when you eat, when and how much you sleep, and when and how often you move. By focusing on the when, you are harnessing the power of your circadian code, which can compensate for those times when you make less than exemplary choices. Better still, by living in alignment with this internal rhythm, you reap even greater benefits that come along with making good lifestyle choices.”
This excerpt is definitely speaking our language. We love anything that sings the praises of a circadian-aware life. At Arcascope, we believe that everyone deserves to reap the benefits of living in alignment with their internal rhythm. Our app, Shift, will make it easy to do just that.
Chapter 4: “A short nap during the day is one way to repay your sleep debt. The only times when napping really works against you are when you are jet-lagged, if you are a true shift worker and you want to sleep at night, or if you are really trying to move your bedtime to earlier in the evening. In these instances, it’s better to build up your propensity to sleep at night, and then reset your clock the next morning. “
A great section to highlight. There’s a ton of focus on enough hours of sleep per day, and not enough focus on when those hours of sleep happen. Naps are great, but if you’re a shift worker or trying to shift your sleep earlier, a nap at the wrong time can throw you off course.
Chapter 4: “Small lighting changes can have a huge impact. I’m not suggesting we spend the evenings in a dark room until we go to bed There are many techniques and products that can help reduce our exposure to blue light. For instance, in the evenings, shut off overhead lights and use table lamps instead.”
Yep, this line resonated with us. Because it’s not all or nothing when it comes to living a healthier #circadian life. You don’t need perfect darkness in your evening home environment or constant sunlight during the day. Moderate, realistic changes to your daily routine can be enough to help put your body’s clock back on the right track, and our recommendations are designed with this principle in mind. We bet you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to live in alignment with your body’s clock and especially how many benefits come from doing so.
Chapter 5: ” Our brain clocks are most sensitive to light, but the clocks in our gut, liver, heart, and kidneys respond directly to food. Therefore, just like the first sight of morning light resets the brain clock and tells it that it’s morning, the first bite or first sip of coffee of the day tells the clocks in our gut, liver, heart, and kidneys to begin the day. If we change our routine from day to day, our clocks get confused.”
It makes sense to think that our bodies might be more prepared to handle food at some times (like when we’re awake), rather than others (like when we’re supposed to be asleep). And the same way light at night confuses and disrupts the central clock in our brain, so too could food around the clock confuse and disrupt the peripheral oscillators in our organs.
Chapter 8: “If you wear blue-light-filtering glasses, then you don’t have to change the light bulbs in your home or find apps for your laptop or television.”
Another reminder of how simple changes to our daily routine, like wearing glasses at certain parts of the day, can help out our body’s clock.
