Day Five

Day 5. Timing is everything. And I kinda failed yesterday with that. I started the chapter in Dr. B's new book that focuses on leveraging our circadian rhythm. It made me realize that the past few years of instability in this department is likely how I ended up in such rough shape this time around. Having Hashimoto's, Endo and hEDS, messing with my rhythm worsened my conditions.

I put down my book, and went on to eat too late, got the treadmill at the exact wrong time of day, and I didn't fall asleep till after 3 in the morning. *phew*. No wonder I'm exhausted! Anyhoo.. the takeaway from the chapter is this-

When circadian rhythm is disrupted by shift work or irregular habits, it triggers a state called chronodisruption that impacts the entire body through the 'gut-immune axis'.

One's metabolism suffers because the body cannot process sugar or insulin effectively at night, leading to weight gain and increased diabetes risk. The immune system loses its ability to switch from "attack" to "repair" mode, resulting in chronic inflammation and the worsening of autoimmune conditions.

Hormonal balance is also hit hard, as a disrupted internal clock prevents the gut from properly clearing hormones like estrogen, causing them to recirculate and drive imbalances. Simultaneously, the gut lining misses its nightly repair window, leading to leaky gut and systemic issues like joint pain and brain fog. Over the long term, this constant cellular stress significantly raises the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.. yikes!

So weight gain, chronic inflammation, worsening of autoimmune conditions.. check, check and check. Plus increased risk of diabetes.. also check. Sweet, 2 years of shift work pretty much ruined me! According to cited studies on people whose sleep and eating schedules are affected due to time changes, it takes 2 weeks to recover regularity. No wonder I felt like garbage constantly and struggled more than ever to sleep. My shift changed every 2 weeks! On days I was waking up at 430am. On afternoons I wouldn't get to bed till around 2am. That's a complete flip every two weeks. Brutal!

I kind of had a feeling that this was a part of my problem. I'm tired just thinking about it. I was averaging just under 4 hours of sleep daily, which apparently isn't good at all. A part of my focus over the coming weeks is finding a rhythm. I need consistency in timing when I eat and sleep just as much as I need consistency in my diet and daily habits. I'm working on it... stay tuned, 55 days to go.