All people have rhythms which the body evolved to follow and tries very hard to continue to do so despite the many disruptions of modern life.
If we can understand these rhythms and seek to work with them, instead of against them, we will have a powerful tool with which to raise performance.
The Circadian rhythm is one that occurs over a 24 hour period. Found in many living things it is regulated by night and day, darkness and light. They seem to be fundamental to the way life evolved.
A major job of the circadian rhythm is to regulate sleep/wake cycles. Since sleep is critical to performance, this is an important rhythm to get right.
To set and maintain your circadian rhythm it is important to wake up properly, so that you can go to sleep properly, and so wake up properly. Wake up, drink water and get light into the eyes and brain, natural sunlight is best. This will reset your rhythm so that you naturally tire at night, when you should avoid bright lights and caffeine.
Caffeine does have the effect of resetting the circadian rhythm, so on a normal day you should avoid caffeine until you have been awake for about two hours, with plenty of water, plenty of light and a little exercise. If you have flown across the Atlantic, then a stiff coffee right at the beginning of the day will get your circadian rhythm going in the right direction.
This rhythm influences all the others, so keeping it in line is necessary for peak performance.
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