How To Fix Your Biological Clock To Restore Your Health and Energy

Your biological clock defines how healthy you are, and multiple factors influence its function. Such as, your circadian rhythm, hormones, gut health, and whether or not you are struggling with chronic pain or chronic health conditions. 

One of the biggest disruptors to your biological clock that you need to be aware of is chronic stress. You could be eating the best organic food in the world, taking the most potent supplements and following an pro-athlete-style exercise routine, but if you are chronically stressed, your body cannot heal or function optimally.

Why is this? Your body is stuck in ‘fight or flight’ and therefore will never reach homeostasis. We know that everything is linked, so if something is out of whack, then a domino effect ensues. 

What is Your Biological Clock?

All living organisms have biological clocks, which are responsible for regulating repetitive biological processes. The one you are probably most familiar with is the circadian rhythm, which alerts your body of when to be active or when to rest and sleep over a 24 hour cycle. 

However, there are multiple internal clocks, such as your hormone productions, temperature regulation, blood pressure and sleep-wake cycle. Each one of these peripheral clocks have ideal times to function and rest. Whilst we have a network of peripheral clocks distrubted across organ systems, we have one master biological clock, known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is a group of neurons located in the hypothalamus. The SCN is attuned to the 24-hour light cycle, so light prompts the master clock to send messages to the other biological clocks to either get going or to slow down to rest. 

As a team, and if working optimally, these internal clocks will be able to tell you the best times for waking, sleeping, exercising, eating, going to the toilet, working… the list goes on. If your biological clock is dysregulated, your triggers will be dysregulated. Are you a ‘night owl’ and can only work when the sun goes down? Do you get big bursts of energy before bed? Are you groggy and find getting up in the morning impossible? It’s likely that your internal clocks are out of whack. 

Biological Clock and Circadian Rhythm

Your circadian rhythm influences your biological clock, and vice versa. So if your circadian rhythm is thrown off by lifestyle factors, such as exposure to blue light at night, not enough daylight during the day, shift work, young children keeping you up and jet lag, then your biological clock is going to suffer. 

If this happens, your endocrine system, mood, cognitive function, metabolism and sleep quality will be negatively impacted, leading to further sleep dysfunction and even serious health issues such as Adrenal Fatigue. 

Biological Clock and Stress

Would you believe me if I said that the majority of people living in westernised cultures are experiencing some kind of chronic stress? If you think about your mornings, days at work, evenings, the inflammatory processed food we are all sold, the toxic products we’re using, then you would probably agree that this makes total sense. 

Chronic stress can be emotional, mental or physical, and a combination of all three. A combination is the likely situation as one affects another. Everything is connected. Do you know what else is connected? Your biological clock. 

When you are chronically stressed, this negatively impacts and dysregulates your biological clock. When your biological clock is dysregulated, the body and mind become stressed. 

Stress triggers your system to attempt to return to equilibrium, via the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response. 

Of the six circuits, the most involved in the NEM Stress Response is the hormone circuit. This is composed of the adrenals, the thyroid and the reproductive organs. If you are struggling with adrenal fatigue, hypo- or hyperthyroidism or hormonal imbalance, then your stress response will be inhibited. This will mean your ability to return to homeostasis is also inhibited. 

Rebalancing Your Biological Clocks

If you struggle to be a ‘morning person’, have referred to yourself as a ‘night owl’, get food cravings at night, don’t feel hungry during the day or desperately need an afternoon nap, then your biological clock(s) are likely out of sync. 

Obviously rule out or address any underlying health issue that could be causing the dysregulation but, for EVERYONE (underlying health issue or not) implementing a health-focused morning routine is essential to getting your clocks back into a good rhythm so that all your internal systems are working optimally. 

How do you start your mornings? Do you start the day feeling inspired and full of intention or are they filled with lethargy and dread? Do you move your body or roll out of bed and sleep-wall through the essential motions to get to your desk? Do you take time to focus your mind, or do you immediately look at your phone and absorb the notifications that have accumulated overnight? 

If you’re the latter in all those statements, then your mind and body are screaming out for a morning routine! Too busy? You can never be too busy for health and, luckily, the Morning Routine Protocol was made for busy people who are looking to improve their mental, physical and emotional health. 

If you take care of the start of your day, the rest of the day will take care of itself. It’s been proven that following a consistent morning routine, which complements your goals and lifestyle, boosts productivity, improves mood, reduces stress and elevates your overall health. How does it elevate your health? Firstly, it will help bring you back into equilibrium, so your biological clocks can regulate your internal systems at the optimal times. 

By following this Morning Routine protocol, your mental and physical health will be so dramatically elevated, so the rest has no choice but to follow. You will get more done by noon than most people achieve in a week, thus optimising your days, weeks, months and years.