Today’s tip will revolutionize your days. Seriously. We all know about circadian rhythms, which are commonly known as the night-time sleep cycles where we experience wakefulness, deep sleep, dream sleep (REM and all of those phases), so many people are familiar with that topic. But today, we’re talking about those same types of cycles throughout our 24-hour experience, and those are called ultradian rhythms.
Ultradian rhythms are the body’s natural ways of increasing or decreasing wakefulness, focus, and energy throughout the day. Research shows that about every 90 to 120 minutes, we have the same kinds of cycles of peak experience and peak performance, and then we need rest and respite to give us the energy to continue experiencing the next cycle. The problem is that we override those natural cues all the time. When the body starts yawning, when we start getting hungry, when we start feeling tired and fatigued, we “power through” with another cup of coffee or a candy bar or another jolt of adrenaline and cortisol, which keeps us stressed out and trying to power through (though less effectively).
What we often don’t realize is that, when we override this natural cue to take a break, we actually reduce our effectiveness and efficiency…and it’s decreasing our health and quality of life, as well, so quality results—and quality of life—are out the door. We’re not doing ourselves any favors by short-circuiting the body and brain’s natural need for rest.
The key? You’ve got to GET UP. Every 90 to 120 minutes, you need to actually get up and move, rest, rejuvenate. That means a respiration, hydration, nutrition, recreation…any of those “-tions” that act as a re-set for your well-being. Those “tions,” don’t shun them. Action them. Because just two minutes spent taking a break, taking a breather (as the brain and the body are asking you to do), serves as a re-set for us. We come back refreshed, reinvigorated, and re-engaged in the work at hand (or the play at hand). This week, give it a try every 90 to 120 minutes, two minutes or more if you can spare it, and that’s all it takes to revive the brain revive the body throughout the day. That’s a pretty good return on investment, don’t you think?
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