How Your Circadian Rhythm Affects Your Mental Health

The low-down on circadian rhythm

If the last decade gave us anything, it’s an increased understanding of mental health – from how common problems can be, to the connection between it and many other conditions.

One interesting link that’s been found in recent years is that found between your mental health and your circadian rhythm – in other words, your natural sleep-wake cycle, which repeats every 24 hours. Your circadian rhythm is regulated by changes in light and dark, temperature and even activity levels, but can become easily disrupted. In this post, we’ll highlight the mental knock-on effects of a disrupted circadian rhythm, as well as some ideas for how to help reset it.

1)Performance

From slower thinking to sluggish memory and reduced impulsivity, circadian disruption can affect human mental performance – one of the cornerstones of human optimisation that we’re committed to here at NADclinic.

2)Mood

In 2018, The Guardian reported that those with disrupted 24-hour cycles of rest and activity were ‘more likely to have mood disorders, lower levels of happiness and greater feelings of loneliness’. While feelings such as loneliness don’t necessarily develop into conditions such as depression, there’s a definite link between the two and it can be a contributing factor.

3)Anxiety & depression

Mood changes may reflect disturbed sleep, but research in transitioning to a different sleeping pattern (for example, changing to night shift work) has been found to elevate anxiety and depression.

4)Bipolar disorder

Characterised by extreme, cyclic mood swings, treatment which normalises circadian rhythm in those with bipolar has been found to help treat the condition. In addition, research has found that those with jet lag (a type of circadian rhythm disruption) and bipolar disorder were more likely to develop depression.

5)Schizophrenia

Although rare, this mental health disorder is linked to circadian disruption, although more research is needed.

Resetting your circadian rhythm

Many outside factors affect your circadian rhythm. These include night-shift work, jet lag and even artificial light (light pollution is apparently so bright that two-thirds of Europeans and nearly 80% of North Americans can’t see the Milky Way).

Here are some examples of how to set your circadian rhythm:

– Keep a sleep schedule – ensuring you sleep and wake at the same time each day can help your body to take on a new rhythm.

– Exercise regularly – exercise has so many positive health benefits, and can enhance sleep quality and duration. Be warned, though – don’t exercise too close to bed-time, as it can actually stimulate the body.

– Boost your energy – finding ways to give yourself an energy boost can be a useful pick-me-up while you adjust to a new circadian rhythm. Caffeine is a great example, but again, take care not to have it to close to sleeping.

– Be consistent with eating – incredibly, our circadian rhythm can tell us when we’re hungry and affect how well our bodies break down food – and can even make you feel more tired (or alert).

– Cut down on screen time – screen time can trick our bodies into thinking it’s daytime, which can be disruptive to our circadian rhythm. Conversely, light therapy can work for those who need to ‘simulate’ light when it’s dark (such as shift workers).

How we can help

Of course, there are ways we can help here at NADclinic, using our proprietary NAD+ IV drips. Our Combat Jet Lag IV Infusion targets the fatigue and tiredness associated with frequent and long-distance flying, and has benefits such as improved sleep quality, boosted energy levels and even enhanced memory.

We offer a comprehensive range of NAD+ IV drip treatments at NADclinic near Harley Street, so talk to us if you’re interested in our other options.

Get in touch with NADclinic today

Our IV drip therapy was designed with human health and performance in mind. Our treatments use NAD+, an energy-galvanising molecule, to boost cells’ metabolism and power-up many of our biological processes. Contact the team at our NAD Clinic near Harley Street to arrange your bespoke IV drip therapy and find out how this incredible molecule could benefit you.