Circadian rhythms are changes in physiology that follow a 24 hour period. These changes inherently follow a 24 hour cycle, but can be reset by certain environmental factors called zeitgebers, or timegivers.
Every organism under the Sun has circadian rhythms, and we have recently only begun to discover how many aspects of our modern environment can disrupt our circadian rhythms. More obvious ways that we experience circadian disruption include jet lag and shift work, but there are other ways in which our circadian rhythms become disrupted that can have a negative effect on our physiology.
Even mild circadian disruption caused by poor meal timing, improper light exposure, lack of physical activity, and use of substances such as coffee, alcohol, and pharmaceutical drugs can increase our risk of the many conditions that circadian disruption may contribute to. This includes:
Functional bowel disorders such as IBS/SIBO/IBD
Neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
And many more…
Now you may be thinking…that’s a lot of stuff! I can’t imagine circadian rhythms can impact that many disease states! Well, it’s true. As I mentioned, circadian rhythms control a large portion of your physiology, primarily through your autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that controls automatic processes such as digestion, immunity, heart rate, blood pressure, blood glucose, the stress response, you name it.
Proper exposure to environmental factors that help set your circadian rhythms set the tone of the autonomic nervous system somewhere between fight or flight and rest and digest. Autonomic tone controls how you respond to the environment, from your mood to your immune system. I covered this in a blog on time-restricted eating that you can check out here. You don’t want to be too fight or flight or too rest and digest, you want to be somewhere balanced in the middle.
Circadian rhythms and chronic disease
While the modern approach to treating acute diseases with things such as antibiotics has been a slam dunk, managing chronic disease has not gone as planned. A large part of the issue is that the chronic conditions that end up taking most people down are thought to be caused by mismatch between our genes and the environment. You may be able to lower biomarkers associated with chronic disease, but even the CVD wonder drug category statins don’t extend life a single day.
Think about what most people die of these days and the factors that contribute to these diseases. We have cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. Cardiovascular tone is set by the autonomic nervous system as is blood glucose. The destruction of cancerous cells follows a circadian rhythm, and all of these diseases are inflammatory in nature which is regulated by the immune system which is regulated by…you guessed it, circadian rhythms.
This is why addressing the ultimate cause of the problem, poor lifestyle choices, must be addressed and corrected. Circadian rhythms are a substantial part of this equation as they regulate physiological process such as immune function, digestion, cardiovascular tone, hunger, motivation, mood, and how we feel throughout the day. Try maintaining a healthy weight when you’re unmotivated, hungry, fatigued, and in a foul mood all the time.
With all this in mind, I developed the Circadian Retraining Program to help people navigate the science of circadian rhythms. While most people are preoccupied with what and how much when it comes to their health, circadian rhythms deal with when. This is a novel approach that’s just now making waves in the health community, so many people are interested in diving in but don’t know where to start. That’s what the Circadian Retraining Program is for, to help you navigate the variable of time in your life.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Just listen to what members are saying about how the program has changed their lives…
“my crazy blood sugar swings stopped! i’m not even fully in to everything at the moment, but really working on the light, meal spacing and activity!”
-C.A, CRP member and breastfeeding mother
“A big thank you to Dave Mayo for this program and his help, its simply amazing, after 40 years of frustration with chronic insomnia and being awake all night! 3 weeks into the program, and for the first time in my life, I am now asleep by 10.30pm and awake at 7am full of energy. I never thought this would ever be possible for me! Wow!
I have tried so much over the last 35 years with little results, even doctors and sleep specialists had no idea, 2 weeks in your program and I’m on top of it. I accept that these are the things I need to do in the future for my body to function normally, a small price to pay for such a massive outcome!
…Day 6 of normal sleep patterns, I now see other things improving like my energy release during the day, I also see more appropriate responses from things like the thyroid, liver and pancreas. The more I do in this program, the better the systems become aligned and the less sensitive I am to things in my environment.
-M.R.-Suffered with Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome for 35 years which shifted his sleep cycle from 4am-4pm
“I’m happy to report after years of multiple daily, painful, debilitating diarrhea and fatigue, I’ve gone a whole month without any diarrhea. My stools still aren’t perfect, but it’s a tremendous improvement. I think the CRP has helped quite a bit. I’ve also been following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for about a year (which tries to regulate gut bacteria for those with IBS/IBD), but didn’t see a lot of progress with it until starting the CRP. I no longer seem to have any issues after eating fatty foods like ribeye steaks either…CRP has been a great help. Now going on two months of major improvement. “
-A. C., IBS-D sufferer & CRP member
“Hey everyone, a Canadian circadian trainee here. I’ve been all in on eating window and going to bed…for a few weeks now. Absolutely loving the energy and mental vibrancy!!! I don’t think people recognize me and I’m not even sure if I recognize myself with all this positivity haha”
-M. K., CRP member
“I just want to say I bought The Circadian Retraining Program and the content is AMAZING! I honestly thought it would be a complete waste. I took a chance because I really liked Dave Mayo‘s blog posts.
I’ve done a lot of research on health over the years so I figured I wouldn’t learn anything new. I thought Dave would just give the basics that everyone already knows. He gives all of that and a whole lot more. There is a lot of attention to detail. A few of the things he mentions I would have never even thought of. He clearly knows his stuff. And he breaks it down into simple actionable steps.
For anyone on the fence about buying I think it’s totally worth it. The information is incredibly well researched and the presentation is excellent (it never gets boring!).”
-B. D., Health guru & CRP member
Wanna learn more? Here is a list of full-length testimonials:
- Mark cured 35 years of chronic insomnia, food intolerance, and dysautonmoia from PSTD
- Chuck reversed food intolerances
- Chandra corrected her POTS and histamine intolerance
- Denise reversed her chronic fatigue syndrome and mitochondrial dysfunction
- Nicole became more clear-headed and watched her energy and motivation skyrocket
What’s included in the CRP program?
The program is huge, more than 16 hours of Powerpoint videos covering all aspects of circadian rhythms broken down in to 21 modules. These modules include:
0.1 Quickstart Guide to Optimizing your Circadian Rhythms
This module functions as a sort of overview of the program focusing on the 3 primary factors in helping to optimize your circadian rhythms. The purpose is to allow you to get started quickly by focusing on the factors that get you 80% of the way there. For a deeper understanding of each module as well as the science and more advanced concepts used to fit the program to your lifestyle, you’ll definitely want to watch the other modules to fine tune the program.
1. Introduction
This module covers why circadian rhythms are important and the many conditions caused by circadian disruption. If you want a taste of the program, you can check out the portion dedicated to gut health here.
2. Light Exposure
Our master clock is set via light exposure, but it’s not simply about blocking blue light at night which most people are familiar with. In this module I cover the ins and outs of light exposure and how you can optimize your exposure to light to help set your sleep/wake cycle.
3. Feed, Fast, Feed Again
While our master clock is set by light, most of our peripheral clocks found throughout the body are regulated by the feeding/fasting cycle. But what constitutes breaking a fast, how long should we fast for, and when should we put this fast to optimize our health? In this blog I cover the precise details of setting up a feeding/fasting cycle that fits your lifestyle.
4. Get up, Get out, Move
3 of the most important factors for setting your circadian rhythms are light exposure, the feeding/fasting cycle, and physical activity. Most people don’t get enough physical activity, get it at the wrong times, and aren’t doing all of the proper kinds of movements. In this module we cover it all and help to understand why physical activity is a critical part of the equation in setting your circadian clocks.
5. Putting it All Together
In this module I take all of the information in the 4 previous modules and help you integrate that information so that you can set up your lifestyle to take advantage of the benefits of optimized circadian rhythms. For those of you in a rush or not interested in the deep science of the first 4 modules, you can hop right in here to get an early jump on the action.
6. Critical Nutrients for Setting your Circadian Clocks
Once we understand what circadian rhythms do and how they do it, we get a pretty clear picture of the critical pathways that help optimize circadian rhythms. Unfortunately, these pathways require nutrients that most people don’t get adequate amounts of. So even if you’re getting the proper light exposure, observing a proper feeding/fasting cycle, and getting adequate physical activity at the appropriate time, nutrient deficiencies leave those pathways dead to rights. While this module is the only one without a time component, it’s extremely important and discusses topics no one has touched…until now.
7. Prolonged Fasting and Circadian Rhythms
While a proper feeding/fasting cycle is q prerequisite to setting your clocks, prolonged fasting of more than 24 hours can be a useful adjunct to your feeding/fasting cycle. In this module I cover the benefits of prolonged fasting to developing strong circadian rhythms, how long you need to fast to get those benefits, and when the best time to start and stop your fast is.
8. Addressing Adrenal Dysfunction with Circadian Rhythms
Adrenal dysfunction is a condition where our stress response becomes dysregulated. It has a strong link to circadiand rhythms due to cortisol not only being an output of the clock, but also acting as a zeitgeber for nearly every clock in the body. Given this range of effects of cortisol, adrenal dysfunction can absolutely wreck your ability to set your circadian rhythms. In this module I show you how to approach circadian rhythms appropriately if you have adrenal dysfunction. This will not only give you the best chance to fix thyroid function, it will minimize how miserable the process is.
9. Creating the Proper Sleep Environment
Sleep is regulated by circadian rhythms. But that doesn’t mean that just because you play with light and the feeding/fasting cycle that you will immediately fix your sleep. There are a number of thing that people with sleep problems do wrong with regard to sleep hygiene. In this module I address these issues and give you the tools you need to correct the problems…and your sleep.
10. Increasing your Mitochondria with Exercise
Mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells, responsible for creating >90% of the energy our body consumes. But our modern environment as well as the general process of aging reduces the number of mitochondria we have and the ones we have become dysfunctional. While fatigue likely comes to mind here, this also has a major effect on how our clocks work. In this module I cover using exercise to expand your pool of mitochondria and optimize the repair process so fewer of them are dysfunctional. I created a companion blog describing just how badly this can screw up your clocks. You can find this blog here.
11. Skin Sun exposure and circadian rhythms
A lot of attention is paid to how light exposure to the eye helps set circadian rhythms, but a lot less attention is paid to how light exposure to the skin does the same. Most major health organizations around the World are waking up to the fact that the generation of vitamin D3 is only one of many factors that skin exposure to the Sun plays in regulating human physiology.
In this module I cover the importance of exposing your skin to the Sun to help set your circadian rhythms. I discuss why it’s not visible light you should be concerned with, how the Sun increases levels of a molecule necessary for circadian entrainment at the cellular level, and how different types of artificial light at night can throw many things off including the autonomic nervous system, detoxification, and inflammation.
Of course, the importance of the Sun doesn’t come without it’s risks, particularly skin cancer. However, proper exposure to the Sun not only lowers your risk of skin cancer, it lowers your risk of half a dozen other cancers, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and a number of gut problems. As with everything discussed in the program to date, timing is of the essence, and mistimed Sun exposure will ramp up your risk for skin cancer and disrupt your circadian rhythms.
12. Syncing the Microbial Clock
Most people understand that humans have a circadian rhythm that controls physiological processes throughout the body. Things like appetite, blood sugar, sleep, blood pressure, heart rate, and tons more.
Some may even know that each one of our organs has their own peripheral clock that synchronizes cells in that organ. But few know that our microbiome also has it’s own rhythm.
The microbial rhythm is important for many reasons, not the least being gut health. Metabolites from our microbiome help alter genetic expression in the gut and other organs. This module covers the important metabolites in the microbiome that create a strong gut and how to time them properly.
It also covers how they build stronger bi-directional relationships in the gut-brain axis, gut-liver axis, gut-bone axis, and so on. Timing is of the essence, and the microbiome is no exception.
13. Limiting the Damaging Effects of Alcohol
Most of us like to enjoy drinks with friends to celebrate an occasion or achievement. But we all know that alcohol outside of health limits can put a drain on your digestive and overall health.
The damaging effects of alcohol also involve circadian disruption. Part of this is due to changes in nutrient status, part of it’s from changes in your normal routine, and some is due to alcohol directly disrupting the circadian rhythm in the liver.
In this module we cover the things you can do to limit this damage. This involves building resilience before you consume alcohol, understanding what a safe level of alcohol consumption is, and knowing the nutrition and lifestyle factors you can do to limit this damage.
14. Coffee 101
If you’re like me, you love you some coffee. But the fact of the matter is, caffeine has some pretty significant effects on physiology including modification of circadian rhythms and digestion. In this module I help you navigate the finer points of coffee consumption with particular focus on determining if coffee is right for you, how much coffee you should drink and when, and how to use coffee to your advantage in setting your circadian rhythms.
15. Improving insulin sensitivity and blood glucose
The modern human lifestyle has many problems, not the least of which is compromised metabolic health. The problem is that metabolism helps sync up the peripheral clocks throughout the body, and many synchronizing hormones are affected by hyperglycemia and the bad habits that promote it. In this module we discuss the importance of maintaining insulin sensitivity and healthy glycemic control while outlining how you can correct metabolic dysfunction.
16. Circadian exercise phase 1
In this module we discuss laying out an exercise program while taking advantage of what circadian rhythms can do for us.
17. Foam rolling and stretching
In this module we outline a foam rolling program to create balance throughout the body
18-20. Strength Training Phase 1-3
In this module we lay out a basic full body strength training program you can do from home or in a gym.
Private Facebook Group
You also get a free 3-month membership to the private Facebook group where you can ask questions and get help to individualize the program to your needs. The Facebook group also includes biweekly Facebook Live videos covering topics including:
- Foods and supplements
- Tricks and tools to get the most out of the program
- Deeper analysis of the blogs at http://www.hackyourgut.com with actionable steps to integrate the information in to the program
- A review of topics brought up by members throughout the week with an “Ask Me Anything” format
- Regular challenges to help you find out what works for you(Next challenge is an “Everything but the..” challenge where we lockdown on things people don’t think have anything to do with gut health and circadian rhythms and see how we respond)
- How to track and measure your progress
- Updates on all the current circadian rhythms research as it is published
Don’t wait on this, become a member today and begin reaping the benefits of circadian rhythm optimization. Click the pay button below to join now!
How does it work?
Program membership is $227 and can be purchased via Paypal. Once you purchase the program and I receive payment, I’ll send you a link to the program and an invite to the private facebook group. It’s up to you when you start your free 3-month FB membership. You can start right away, or go through all the modules and then start it to maximize your time.
That’s it, all updates are posted to that link so just make sure you save it. Why wait? Act now to take control of your life and become an active participant in your health today! Give that button a clickity click!
Click here to purchase the Circadian Retraining Program
Looking to really turbocharge your healing? Get the Circadian Retraining Program/Stop Leaky Gut Bundle and SAVE $57!!!. Do the 12 week Stop Leaky Gut Challenge to address your gut issues and then roll in to the Circadian Retraining Program!!!
Click here to purchase the Circadian Retraining/Stop Leaky Gut Bundle
Looking to spread out your payments? Well good news!!! Apply for Paypal credit and get 0% financing for 6 months on any programs over $99. To learn more and apply, go to:
https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/paypal-credit/