We Work Best in 90-Min Cycles — Why Work 9 to 5?
The science of working in cycles
In 1920, a guy named Symanski noticed behavioral rhythms and patterns in rodents and fish that seemed to respond to rules encoded in their DNA. Because the technology to continuously monitor physiological parameters was not yet developed, however, he left it at that and wasn’t able to push the research further.
30 years later, sleep researcher Nathaniel Kleitman discovered that the human body tends to move through 90–120 minute cycles that repeat 3 to 5 times through the night, and this time there was more available technology for better data collection around something called ultradian rhythms. “Ultradian” means “many times a day”, and rhythms refer to the regular oscillating (up-and-down) wave patterns these cycles follow (source).
In this article, we’re focusing on what ultradian rhythms mean in our modern capitalist society, and how to better adapt our schedule to match those natural cycles (hint: it’s not easy). In order to study that, we need to quickly cover circadian rhythms too.
“Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes respond primarily to light and dark and affect most living things, including animals, plants, and microbes.” — National Institute…
