If you are feeling extremely exhausted, tired, burdened with fatigue and anxiety, and unable to focus on your work or anything else, you are not alone.  The days when instead of your mornings brimming with sunshine, there is a fear of not being able to sit through the day. We all experience this occasionally and it is not outlandish or abnormal to feel so. Over the last two decades, our lifestyle has had a whopping transformation. We all have access to many external stimulants and technologies that affect our eating, thinking, and sleeping patterns and may even imbalance them in different ways. The human body has been designed to work in a certain circadian rhythm, something that controls different processes of our body such as eating, sleeping, digestion, hormone secretion, and even our stress levels. Therefore, we must align our bodies with these factors. One of the best ways to get back on track is by fasting. Fasting is not new to humans and Ayurveda has acknowledged it as a vital practice for the assimilation of metabolic toxins, a cleansed digestive system, and maintaining overall health.

Also Read: Intermittent Fasting: Method, Types, Health Benefits And FAQs

Difference Between Circadian Rhythm Fasting (TRF) And Intermittent Fasting (IF)

Various kinds of fasting come under the umbrella term intermittent fasting that we undertake. However, intermittent fasting involves abstaining from eating for many hours each day to certain days a week. While a practice called circadian rhythm fasting is a process of aligning when you eat with your body's internal clock through a timebound eating schedule. Circadian rhythm fasting focuses on time-restricted eating with an emphasis on an earlier eating window during the day than not eating. In this type of fasting, a person eats only during specific hours, for example between eight in the morning to about seven in the evening. Time-restricted feeding being the primary component of this fasting type, this plan requires that you stop eating by seven or so unlike intermittent fasting which allows you to determine your eating schedule. Also, it does not require restricting the number of calories you consume but insists only on the hours during which you consume them. The best part is that since there is time-restricted feeding, you do not have to do a full day without eating.

How To Sync With Circadian Rhythm?

The most important aspect is to talk to your doctor before beginning circadian rhythm fasting to avoid any complications arising due to an underlying health problem. If your doctor gives a heads-up, this is what you should keep in mind:

  • Eat between 8 AM to 7 PM to align with the circadian rhythm
  • Though there are no rules on what to eat, eating fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, or millet and cutting on sugar is always better
  • Sugary beverages or alcoholic drinks also count as consumption. Except for water, avoid the rest
  • Optimal, sound sleep is an integral part of the plan. Ideally, it should be a minimum of seven hours
  • Taking twenty minutes of sunlight is a boon to the regime
  • Increase your fiber intake
  • Limit watching TV, browsing mobiles, and any exposure to blue light after 8 PM
  • Sleep early and turn off any kind of bright light one hour before bedtime

Also Read: Guide To Safe Fasting

Isn’t this form of fasting a tad bit easy compared to crash diets that may be doing more harm than good? To know more about the benefits of this super easy way to flush toxins and stay fit, foray into this infographic:
5 incredible incentives of Circadian rhythm fasting