Your circadian rhythm determinesthe quality of your sleep.
Q: What is the “circadian rhythm?”
Answer: Your body keeping its own time, using its own internal clock mechanisms.
Your body’s internal clock system synchronizes itself to the world via several environmental signals.
Light cycles primarilydeterminethe quality of your circadian rhythm.
With few exceptions, all life developed “under bright days and dark nights” (source).
Melatonin is not unique to humans. It’s not unique to mammals. It’s in amphibians, birds, reptiles, cockroaches, insects, spiders, unicellular organisms, bacteria, plants – every plant that has been studied contains melatonin. Every organism contains melatonin
Russel Reiter, PhD
These environmental signals (brightness & darkness) synchronize your body’s circadian clock.
More than any other variable, light drives your body clock.
— Much more than exercise, much more than the diet.
While your skin does have photoreceptors that sense environmental light — the eyes have 100x more photoreceptors than skin.
The eyes are the windows to the circadian soul.
The light in your environment — along with only a few otherfactors — holds the keys to mastery of your circadian rhythm.
Those other variables include:
nutrition
clean air & healthy buildings
a calm mind
exercise
meal timing
gut health
— but light is circadian royalty. Nothing else, by itself, comes close.
Light, the Most Important
‘Zeitgeber‘
“time giver”
Environmental stimuli signaling the progression of time are known as zeitgeber, a German word meaning “time giver,” and include light as the most prominent signal, as well as others, such as patterns of exercise,[14] food consumption,[15] social activity, and more.
Light during the day and darkness at night are crucial factors for proper entrainment of the human circadian system to the solar 24-h day.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28637029/
Mastering
your Healthy Melatonin Cycle
Melatonin is the hormone of sleep. It rises, you sleep. It falls, you are alert.
Melatonin has all sorts of benefits: it’s anti-cancer, it promotes immunity, it’s anti-inflammatory, and protects the gut microbiome from pathogens.
In the modern world, melatonin cycles tend to be weak — and failing.
To promote sleep — and promote other benefits — melatonin must rise high in the evening and stay high all night.
But it’s not as simple as taking melatonin supplements.
No, in order to rise high at night, melatonin must be low all day.
It’s a cycle — without one, you can’t have the other.
Low Melatonin
(Daytime)
Drops in the Morning
Low all day
Melatonin crashes in the morning — allowing you to wake up — releasing you from the powerful grip of drowsiness.
If melatonin stays high, you’ll keep sleeping, feel sluggish & groggy, and have trouble getting going.
High Melatonin
(Night)
Melatonin — Rises after Dark
High all night
Melatonin rises at nighttime, just before bed — forcing your body into both 1) wanting sleep, and 2) easily falling asleep.
Chronic disruptions of circadian rhythm may have the potential to seriously affect human health.
For instance, decrease of melatonin levels plays an important role in development of chronic diseases and conditions such as cancer 61, 80, 81, 82, 83, cardiovascular diseases 83, reproduction 84, endometriosis 84, gastrointestinal and digestive problems 85, diabetes 86, 87, obesity 88, depression 89, sleep deprivation 90, bipolar spectrum disorders 91, and cognitive impairment 92.
The body’s clock keeps time on its own, but it’s always receiving clues — from the environment — about the time of day.
‘Solar Time’
is Healthy Time
The sun sets the standard.
There is a time, each day, called “solar noon.” This is when the sun is the highest in the sky, at any given location.
My smartphone shows solar time: sunrise, sunset, and where the sun is in the sky.
Sunrise is when “daytime” begins
Sunset is when “nighttime” begins
Research has confirmed — again and again — that a healthy circadian rhythm is one that aligns closely to natural sunlight cycles.
When the sun is up, it’s important that your eyes (and skin) see bright light.
And when the sun is down, it’s important that your eyes (and skin) see darkness.
A healthy melatonin cycle should align perfectly with natural sunlight cycles: when the sun is up –> melatonin is down.
Sunrise and sunset change throughout the season, but your solar noon remains largely constant all year (although the ‘time change’ moves it by one hour).
The further our body’s cycle gets away from “solar time,” the worse the outcomes for our health.
How do we become out of sync with solar time?
Sleeping in: Missing critical hours of sunlight each morning
Bright light at night
Staying indoors all day
Staying up light
Staying in sync with solar time is an important foundation of longevity — it’s a methodology that is essential to maintaining proper melatonin levels: low in daytime, high at night.
Three types of light keep melatonin levels optimally healthy.
Morning sunlight
Bright daylight
Reducing blue light at night
Let’s dive into the mystery and magic of light. Learn to master this most important circadian muse.
~ 1 ~
Your Melatonin Cycle?
Begins Early
Enjoy the direct benefits of morning light.
Do you want astronomical levels of healing for your circadian rhythm — and, therefore — entire body?
Bright morning light starts each day perfectly — no matter what happened yesterday.
There are three major reasons we need morning sunlight:
Morning light suppresses morning melatonin — allowing you to wake up and start your day
Morning light starts your circadian rhythm
Morning light raisesserotonin — which will be converted to melatonin at night
Without serotonin, melatonin cannot be produced at night — meaning your sleep will suffer.
Serotonin is an incredibly important hormone during the day, too — don’t be fooled by internet experts.
Without a habit of receiving your bright morning light, your other attempts to be healthy, lose weight, feel better — or sleep better — will only be playing catch up.
As we’ll prove, the sheer power of bright morning light — for your brain chemistry, hormones, metabolism, and future circadian rhythm — are nothing short of astounding.
You’ll notice, too, when you try this for yourself: The benefits of morning light are so great that nothing can replace it. No other hack can do what it does, and once you’ve missed morning light, it’s gone for today.
But you don’t have to miss it! Start receiving morning light — first thing tomorrowmorning — and make it a life-long habit that never once regret.
Why should you decide to get morning light each day?
Let’s explore the science…
Natural light exposure — beginning with morning light — “rapidly” resets the circadian rhythm.
Further, we demonstrate that earlier circadian timing can be rapidly achieved through natural light exposure during a weekend spent camping.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28162893/
Camping — which is spending 24 hours outdoors — shifts the circadian rhythm forward, aligning the modern body with solar time.
We also show that circadian and sleep timing occur earlier after spending a weekend camping in a summer natural light-dark cycle…
…compared to a typical weekend in the modern environment.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28162893/
Morning light, by itself, directly stabilizes the circadian rhythm.
Our results indicate that bright blue-enriched morning light stabilizes circadian phase, and it could be an effective counterstrategy for poor lighting during the day and also light exposure at the wrong time, such as in the late evening.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28637029/
Bright morning light lowers melatonin. Melatonin should be low in the morning.
The [morning] decline of melatonin levels was significantly greater after the exposure to [morning] blue-enriched white light.
Exposure to [morning] blue-enriched white light significantly improved subjective perception of alertness, mood, and visual comfort.
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Massachussetts, USA
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Coming from so many different dietary influences, I feel as though Travis has shown me the balance that I needed.
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Also working with Travis directly he has been able to troubleshoot a lot of issues and I am always so grateful for the time he takes to help me. He really does put thought and effort into every single response I have from him and honestly just cannot thank him enough.”
Josh Clement
United Kingdom
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I wanted to keep Travis a secret out of fear that his prices would go up a thousand fold, because he is worth that much. But I know what it’s like to suffer alone trying to find answers in an endless sea of information. I believe that he can help many people. Thank you Travis! You have really been a God-send.”
Luna Tomy
USA
Jaemin — “Travis has given me my life back.”
“I’ve been on an 8-year long journey of struggling with hypothyroidism and a ton of health issues stemming from that (i.e. chronic fatigue, depression, weak immune system, insomnia, constant sore throats, digestive issues, etc.) I’ve seen tons of different doctors, naturopaths, healers (and spent thousands of dollars) with little to no results.
In the first few months of working with Travis, my issues started to reverse almost instantly! Within 6-12 months, I felt like I had healed 80-90% of my issues. It was remarkable. And with so much day-to-day support. He’s also very open-minded and non-dogmatic, so he’ll work with you however you want to explore things. Not to mention, he’s also just an incredibly caring and awesome human being. Navigating my health journey has been infinitely more manageable and less overwhelming with Travis by my side.
Travis has given me my life back and I can’t thank him enough for it! And his ideas and perspectives on health feel absolutely foundational to me. Your mileage will vary with any health coach or protocol, as everybody and situation is different, but I’m convinced that Travis’ coaching would be helpful to pretty much everybody. His protocols feel absolutely fundamental to me for better health.”
Jaemin Yi
California, USA
Diane — “I can personally attest that Travis Burch is the real deal.”
“There are seemingly endless numbers of health and nutrition gurus selling protocols, but very very few of them actually possess the qualities needed to heal for a person struggling from ill health or disease.
I can personally attest that Travis Burch is the real deal. I’m forever grateful to have crossed paths with him at a very crucial time during which the collective health of my family had fallen apart as a result of living in a moldy house.
His in-depth understanding of nutrition, lifestyle (and their interactions) and the way in which the environment influences our health (good and bad) is astounding.
But, the best part is that he’s big-hearted and has a faculty for tuning in and listening that effectively sets him apart from others in the field. Thank you, Travis!”
Diane Tantimonaco
California, USA
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Thank you so much! Love the content, I’m constantly reading and referring to it! Now I’ve got it for life! ❤️
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Australia
S.M. — “Saved me a lot of money.”
“I have suffered from chronic digestive issues for decades. I tried so many things and was feeling so lost, just getting worse, never better. Never knew what I should be eating-my health was getting worse and it was taking a toll on my work, my relationships. Working with Travis over the past year has helped me tremendously. He understands what it feels like to feel anxious and confused and so sick of being sick. He is a helping hand in a sea of confusing health information. He has such a level head and takes a reasonable approach to healing (starting with foundations). He really listens. He sends quick, thoughtful replies everytime I write him. He has been there for me when I was really scared or unsure how to proceed. I always feel better after our zooms. He is patient and answers all my questions and never makes me feel dumb no matter how many questions I have. He has saved me a lot of money with his many hacks and product recommendations! If you hire Travis as your health coach he will help you heal, and this may not be overnight, it takes time to undo years of being sick, but he will be there and stick with you as you figure things out, and teach you a lot!”
SM, R.D.
Massachussetts, USA
Viveka: “This is the most practical and helpful source…”
“Informed by Travis’ extensive personal experience, this is the most practical and helpful source of info on grounding, light, and electromagnetic healing I’ve seen on the web.”
Viveka Jagadeesan
USA
Bart: “Travis has helped me tremendously…”
“With his website and coaching Travis gives a very clear picture about what constitutes health, which he describes perfectly through his pillars of health. As a coach he is highly engaged and responds quickly to all your questions. He has helped me tremendously in dealing with illness and navigating the maze of online self help recommendations and I can’t thank him enough.”
Bart Lutmers
Netherlands
Mandy: “Extremely patient and really listens.”
“Travis Burch is extremely patient and really listens. He has helped me recently discover some major issues with my regimen and I’m forever grateful!”
Mandy Rode
Alberta, Canada
Brooke: “There’s no agenda or bias — only what works.”
“Without Travis my health wouldn’t be where it is today. The Pillars of health show EVERYTHING you need to know about health.
I honestly can’t put into words how helpful they have been to me. They flipped everything for me — it was the balance I needed in my life.
I find myself going back to this pretty often when needed now! Oh, would it have saved me time having access to this years ago!
Travis himself is different from anyone I’ve spoken to in the health world, I’m constantly blown away every time I speak with him. He will look at every angle of my questions and always give me the light at the end of the tunnel with my problems (Even my more silly questions!)
Travis you are a kind, amazing person: you listen, you are patient, & you want to help. Your understanding of health is essentially on a different planet. From every moving part, you’ve let me explore my issues in my own time and way, with no pressure that might make me feel overwhelmed. You put enormous amounts of effort into every single thing you do. I’m forever grateful for the help you have given me over the years.
There’s no agenda or bias with Travis, only what works, he is the real deal.”
Brooke Collins
U.K.
Krystie: “Thank you for this wonderful gift!”
“I’ve been happy to support your site as your information is extremely comprehensive, and you can see how much effort you’ve put into your research to help others heal.
Thank you for this wonderful gift!“
Krystie Kyes
USA
Erica: “A life-changing practitioner to work with. “
“I’ve been working with Travis for over a year. I can’t over-emphasize the influence he has had on my life, on my health, and my happiness. I started working with Travis just as I came down with a chronic health condition called gastroparesis (“GP”). I was convinced by the medical community, scientific literature, and the general consensus of anyone who has this condition that I would have it for life, and at the very best be able to manage my symptoms with medication and drastic, permanent dietary changes.
Over the past year, Travis helped me recover from an all time low with my health. Working with Travis gave me the gift of no longer believing I’ll suffer from a chronic health condition the rest of my life. It allowed me to be able to eat foods I wasn’t sure I could safely eat again, be able to feel energy I wasn’t sure would return, be able to have substantial periods of time where I’m healthy & feeling great and to experience my health continuously (but not linearly) improving.
I can’t recommend working with him enough.Travis is so methodical, thorough, practical, and an incredible person – which makes him a life-changing practitioner to work with.Thank you for everything Travis, endless appreciation for all that you do!“