Night Shift Worker or Early Riser: Tailored Routines to Sync Your Circadian Rhythms

Whether you are a night shift worker, an early riser, or somewhere in between, your body processes are significantly driven by your circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are our 24-hour body clocks that influence hormone levels, thyroid function, metabolism, and more. In our current high-stress world, it’s not uncommon to have disrupted circadian rhythms as a root cause of hormone dysfunction and metabolic issues. Not everyone needs to wake up at 6am in order to have solid circadian rhythms. However, there are ways to tailor your daily routine or adapt to traveling across time zones that can help establish and sync your circadian rhythms. Whether you are an early riser, a night owl, a jetsetter, or a night shift worker, let’s walk through how to structure your day!

Early Riser

Morning

While “early” is a relative term, we consider our early risers those who wake up before 7am. One of the most impactful ways to help sync circadian rhythms is by getting sunlight exposure immediately upon waking. If you are waking before the sun is up, using a white light lamp or a light therapy device (like this one) is a key tool to mimic that sunlight and send the same morning time signals to your brain. 

If you are exercising shortly after waking, be sure to have a balanced pre-workout snack and electrolytes to support a healthy cortisol, or stress hormone, response in the morning. Naturally cortisol spikes within 30 to 60 minutes of waking. This is called our cortisol awakening response. Around this time, we want to avoid pushing cortisol levels too high at that time by doing a fasted resistance training session or high-intensity workout, or by having caffeine on an empty stomach first thing. 

Daytime

Throughout the day, support sustained energy levels by having three blood sugar balanced meals, with adequate protein, fat, and fiber-rich carbohydrates. If you find yourself reaching for some afternoon caffeine, try an electrolyte beverage instead to replenish your minerals and better support more restful sleep.

Evening

In addition to light exposure in the morning, watching the sunset in the evening is another great way to signal to your brain what time it is. During sunset, the sun emits more red and orange light, which helps stimulate melatonin production, the hormone that helps us fall asleep. Once the sun has set, dim any overhead lighting or use table lamps and candles. Avoid bright light and blue light as best as possible, for example from screens and devices. Be sure to use blue light blocking glasses for any evening screen time. 

Aim to eat dinner before the sun has set or shortly after. This should allow adequate time, at least 2 to 3 hours, to digest your meal before bed. This allows for better digestion and more restful sleep! Even on the weekends, try your best to stick to a similar schedule to help mitigate any social jet lag, where circadian rhythms are disrupted over the weekend due to later nights, more social gatherings, and a different sleep schedule.

Night Owl

Morning

Much of the focus for night owls is the fact that they sleep later in the evening (or early morning), but how night owls start the day is incredibly important to set and sync circadian rhythms. Ideally, try to get outside within 15 minutes of waking for sunlight exposure and some gentle movement to establish your morning rhythms. Follow that up with a balanced breakfast for sustainable energy all morning long.

Daytime

During the day, get outside as often as possible for sunshine or bright light. Even if it’s cloudy, our brain still receives important signals through our eyes that help indicate what time of day it is. Consider eating lunch outside or taking a short walk to split up your work day. Ensure you are well-fueled for an afternoon workout by having a small pre-workout snack that consists of protein and carbohydrates. Instead of opting for a caffeinated pre-workout beverage, try an electrolyte drink with equal amounts of sodium and potassium.

Evening

Once the sun sets, dim overhead lighting, use table lamps or candles, and be sure to wear blue like blocking glasses to limit blue light exposure. Even if this is when you feel most productive, consider limiting your screen time as best as possible, especially the 30 to 60 minutes before bed. Consider using red light bulbs around the house or red light therapy devices in the late evening to help promote and maintain melatonin production.

It’s also key to stick to regular meal timing, not eating dinner too late. If needed, you can opt to have a balanced snack closer to bedtime that consists of protein, carbohydrates, and a minimal amount of fat. For some individuals, this can be especially helpful for sleep and blood sugar balance.

Jetsetter

Morning

While traveling across different time zones, synching your circadian rhythm is essential to maximize your energy and optimize your sleep. One of the best ways to do this in the morning is, you probably have guessed it by now, morning sunlight exposure! Aim to be outside in the sun for at least 15 minutes, or closer to 30 minutes if it’s a cloudy day. 

If you can, get in a morning workout to help support your cortisol awakening response and boost your energy levels. This could be a low intensity zone 2 cardio workout or a strength training circuit. Don’t forget to fuel appropriately with a balanced preworkout snack and adequate hydration. Travel can be incredibly dehydrating, so starting your day with electrolytes is a key step to replenish your minerals.

Daytime

Follow your workout with a satisfying breakfast packed with protein and fiber-rich carbohydrates. If you’re a caffeine drinker, enjoy your caffeine of choice in the morning and cut off your consumption at least 8 to 10 hours before bedtime. Continue drinking electrolytes throughout the day to ensure you are hydrating effectively, replenishing your minerals, and supporting your adrenal glands for a healthy stress response.

To help your brain reset to the time change, spend as much time outside as possible. This is especially helpful from the hours of 10am to 2pm, when the sun emits the most blue light, signaling to your brain that it is mid-day.

Evening

Similar to your back home routine, be wary of bright light and blue light exposure once the sun sets and the hours leading up to bedtime. This type of light exposure can shut off melatonin production, which may already be a bit dysregulated given the time change. To help offset the time change, you may consider using a low-dose melatonin as a tool to help realign your circadian rhythms. Apps like Timeshifter are also a great resource to help you prepare for large time zone changes and better acclimate to your destination!

Night Shift Worker

Morning

For those who work night shifts, adjusting to a nocturnal schedule can be challenging, but syncing your circadian rhythm properly can make a significant difference. We’ve designed your circadian rhythm routine according to a 10pm to 6am shift, but this same format can be adjusted according to your individual schedule. Research shows that when night shift workers consistently align their schedule with a structured nocturnal routine, they experience better sleep quality, improved alertness, and reduced fatigue.

For a 10pm to 6am shift, we recommend waking up around 7pm. Upon waking, exposure to bright light from a light box or sun lamp is crucial. This helps retime your circadian rhythm, signaling to your brain and body that it is time to wake up! Adding in a morning workout can further support your energy and wakefulness by helping stimulate your cortisol awakening response. However, it’s of course important to properly fuel your body beforehand with a balanced pre-workout snack and electrolytes to support your rise in cortisol.

Daytime

Throughout your shift, continue using a bright light source like a light box or sun lamp (like this one) on your desk or work station. This further helps sync your circadian rhythms and has been shown to support energy and cognitive function. Staying hydrated during your workday is essential. Sip on electrolytes (like this on-the-go option from Cure Hydration) during the day for optimal hydration and to replenish the minerals that your adrenal glands deplete while producing cortisol and other key hormones.

Evening

As your shift winds down, gradually transition into nighttime mode by turning off your light box and minimizing bright light exposure. On your commute home, wearing sunglasses can help block out natural daylight, preventing unwanted wakefulness signals to your brain. Once you’re back home, wind down by avoiding bright light to help support natural melatonin production. If needed, consider low-dose melatonin supplementation as an additional tool to help adjust your sleep-wake cycle.

Optimizing your daily routine to align with your unique circadian rhythm can have profound effects on your energy, sleep, hormone balance, and even brain function. This is critically important for night shift workers, travelers, early risers and night owls alike! We can gain a better understanding of your body’s natural rhythms by testing your daily cortisol patterns. Tools like our DUTCH Hormone Testing Package measure your cortisol levels in addition to reproductive hormones, which helps determine the nutrition, lifestyle, and supplementation factors that may be the best fit for you to sync your individual circadian rhythms!

Written by Romana Brennan, MS, RD