Start Working with, Not Against, Your Body’s Natural Energy— Ultradian Rhythm
We all have our vices when it comes to boosting our productivity — those things that help us focus, that we know may not be healthy in the long run. Some try to reason with them (“I just have a high tolerance for caffeine”) others don’t (the ‘lines of Adderall at lunch-break’ guy).
I am not here to judge, as I have rationalized many of my behaviors in the name of productivity.
However, using these vices to constantly fuel our productivity is not a healthy, long-term solution. To lessen this dependency, we must understand the physiological mechanisms that are manipulated through our vices of choice.
A mechanism that has gained much interest amongst respected researchers and health professionals is ultradian rhythm. In short, ultradian rhythm is the undulating, internal clock that regulates daily energy levels. Its newfound utility in the wellness space can be attributed to two factors: (1) Its roots in naturally occurring biological mechanisms. (2) Its long-term sustainability as a productivity practice.
It is related to circadian rhythm — our 24-hour biological clock that is responsible for a whole host of sleep/wake functions. While ultradian rhythm serves a similar role, it runs on a much shorter cycle: typically 90–120 minutes.
American sleep psychologist Nathaniel Kleitman coined the term “basic rest-activity cycle” to explain this cycle. When focused on a task, our brain activates physiological responses in the body to raise alertness and focus. Around the 60–90 minute mark, this energy wanes, and the brain once again sends signals to the body, only this time signaling for rest.
Stepping away from the task and resting your brain resets the cycle; priming you for another 60–90 minute sprint-like bout of focus.
When this rest signal is ignored, our bodies shift from the rest-and-digest parasympathetic state to the fight-or-flight sympathetic state. This shift in states activates the stress hormones adrenalin, noradrenalin, and cortisol, to keep pace with the demand placed on our brain and body. These hormones served humans well in their early hominid days where long bouts of focus were required for survival. However, sustained hormone buildup can lead to a variety of health issues and impaired cognitive function.
Understanding the signs (restlessness, irritability, hunger, drowsiness) and disengaging from work at the onset of fatigue is key to maintaining harmony with our body’s natural rhythm.
Over the past year, many work from home employees have inadvertently discovered the benefits of following their inner biological clock. The freedom from being out of the office lends itself to more mid-day dog walkings and between-zoom-call power naps. Taking more time to refresh the mind at various points of the day, knowledge of ultradian rhythms aside, has led many to an increase in productivity.
While most Americans try to jam as many calls, meetings, and reports into their 9–5 as possible, this rest cycle contradicts the notion that work should be one uninterrupted, 8-hour session.
Take a recent conversation between my dad and me during my summer of 2020 home-Coronacation.
Me, an idealist millennial, “I’ve been trying this new 60–10 method where I work, undistracted for 60 minutes, then take 10 minutes off to reset and rest my brain. My energy levels have been consistent and my productivity has gone way up”.
My dad, an establishment boomer: “That’s awesome. I’ve been trying this method where I work for 8 straight hours because that’s what you’re supposed to do at work.”
Totally understandable, dad. We get paid to work eight hours.
However, if we’re going to work for 8 hours, shouldn’t we aim to maximize the quality of those 8 hours?
Following your ultradian rhythm facilitates concentrated and intense bouts of focus that can be repeated throughout the day, without mental and physical fatigue. By taking a few intentional, small breaks to rest, the same employee who struggles with productivity after 1 p.m. and completely clocks out by 3 p.m. becomes a valuable member of the team who gives energy instead of taking it away.
People waste large chunks of their day fending off fatigue — dipping into the sympathetic state and drying out their energy reserves. Society’s glorification of “the grind” attempts to outmaneuver the body’s rest signals by outworking fatigue. We need to reevaluate the belief that willpower can override the physiological responses of our ultradian rhythms — rooted in approximately 250,000 years of evolution.
Taking more breaks isn’t a strategy often discussed when figuring solutions to drive productivity or a company’s bottom line. But when mapped out accordingly, synchronizing periods of work with ultradian rhythm keeps employees fresh and able to consistently produce at a higher quality.
It’s important to note that it is not necessarily about the duration of your rest, but rather what you do with it. Find activities that promote a complete mental reset. For some, this might be meditating in total silence. For others, it might be a 15-minute jog around the neighborhood. While it may feel like a release from work, a “break” to check social media does not constitute rest.
Listen to your body and the signs it gives you. What times of the day do you usually see a dip in focus? How long can you sustain focus before you feel those rest signals? What modes of rest reset your ultradian rhythm best?
The first step is to answer these questions. They will provide you with a better understanding of your unique rhythm. From there you can experiment with your work routine to find a rhythm that works with, not against, your body.
