The Circadian Code: Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy, and Transform Your Health from Morning to Midnight is a fascinating look into our individual body clocks. So often diets and health plans focus on what you consume, while this book shows it is equally important to focus on when you consume. The book encourages readers to seek the best time of day or night to eat, sleep, exercise, work, and learn. Panda argues that you can avoid certain ailments and super-charge your body and brain by following a strict schedule. If you learn to follow the rhythm of your body's circadian code, you will align for the best health results.
The book raised many sensible points. Both physical exercise and time in the sun will improve your sleep. "A change to any of the three core rhythms - sleep, timing of food, and activity - can affect any one of your organs." He encourages you to address snoring: "Mouth breathing reduces the amount of oxygen that goes into the brain. That also puts the brain in a hypoxic, or low-oxygen, state, which can increase the chance of getting dementia and various brain-related problems like memory loss." (I have taken up his suggestion to use Breathe Right strips at night and have found it improves my sleep.) Stick to a schedule of regular mealtimes. The book claims "TRE reduces the drive to make and store excess fat, improves fat burning, normalizes cholesterol level, and reduces inflammation." And finally, "You can maintain a robust clock and preserve your normal brain function by following four simple habits: sleep, TRE, exercise, and the appropriate exposure to daylight."
Even beyond attempting to narrow my TRE window, I have been recommending the book's advice to my boys and my husband. I read aloud bits of the discussion about screen exposure before bedtime. I encouraged my boys to spend more time outside in physical activity during daylight hours. My biggest struggle has been convincing Trevor to stick with a strict sleep schedule that doesn't alter on weekends (that boy loves to sleep until noon on Saturday mornings). But, then again, teens have a natural need for more sleep. (I think I don't mind the sleeping in, as much as the staying up late).
This was a fascinating read and I recommend it to anyone who might be interested in attempting to lose weight without necessarily cutting favorite foods. Besides reading the book, you can sign up to take part in a 14-week research study using his app: mycircadianclock.org. It sounds easy to use. You take photos of what you eat and record sleep and exercise times. In this manner, you will not only recognize your own circadian rhythm, but will provide valuable data for further research.
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Follow-up: I limited my eating time to a twelve-hour window (between 7:15 a.m. and 7:15 p.m.) for two weeks (between St. Patrick's Day and the boys' spring break - one reason I gave the TRE experiment a break). I didn't alter my diet, apart from having a salad for lunch most days, and I might have fared better if I had. After two weeks, I lost not a pound of weight - groan. Indeed, I had difficulty sleeping (of all things - nothing on my mind, yet I tossed and turned and woke repeatedly). Crazy, that following the circadian rhythm disrupted the circadian rhythm. Moreover, I struggled with waiting for my coffee at 7:15, when I normally drink it upon waking between 5 and 6. So, while I leave this review as it was when I first wrote it, my enthusiasm for the approach has diminished. I will try it again, paired with the ketogenic flexitarian diet Bredesen recommends at a later point. For now, I'm enjoying spring break and eating whenever I please.
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