Let There Be Light When the Time Is Right: Light’s Circadian Impact

Calo Huang Circadian Rhythm

At any second, half of our planet is bathed in sunlight and the other half is soaked in darkness. And as Earth rotates, days and nights alternate, and this light-dark cycle has shaped Earth’s life for at least 3.7 billion years. Various organisms have evolved a system, a ‘biological clock,’ to predict the time of day and optimize their behaviors accordingly.       In …

A white dreamcatcher icon, signifying sleep, enclosed in a blue circle. The blue circle has a white ring around it, and then there is also a black ring around the white ring.

Sleep: The Main Course in Life’s Feast and a Key to Health

Calo Huang Circadian Rhythm, Sleep

“Innocent sleep…that soothes away all our worries…that puts each day to rest…that relieves the weary laborer and heals hurt minds. Sleep, the main course in life’s feast, and the most nourishing.”  ― William Shakespeare, Macbeth When I was a kid, I was crazily passionate about basketball. Four hours a day, seven days a week, I ended up dribbling and shooting on the …

Icon of a white lark, amidst a background of yellow, light orange, and dark orange banners. Icon is also enclosed in a circle, with a white and black rim.

Chronotypes—Night Owls, Early Larks, Finches—and Why They All Matter

Calo Huang Chronotypes, Circadian Rhythm

For creatures on the Earth, anticipation is the name of the game in survival. When is the best time for foraging, resting, or hiding from predators? Abilities to sense the answers to these questions make the difference between life and death. During billions of years of evolution, various organisms have equipped themselves with internal, self-sustained, and resettable rhythms called circadian rhythms. Circadian …

Social Rhythms: A New Way to Improve Mental Health

Owaves Team Circadian Rhythm, My Moai, Social Rhythm

Ever heard of the term “social rhythm” before? Read on to learn about this concept! Long before humans made the first clock, dwellers on Earth have come up with timekeepers to adapt to the continuously changing environment. Known as the biological clocks, they are ticking in most living creatures, ranging from tiny cyanobacteria to giant plants and from slimy fungi to brainy …

Quarantine Like An Astronaut With Owaves

Owaves Team Circadian Rhythm, COVID-19, Day Planner, My Moai

Have you ever wondered how astronauts can endure months living inside a confined spaceship as they undergo their space missions? Life in a spaceship means forgoing regular sunlight exposure, social events, and outdoor activities. Sound familiar? With the current COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are living a less intense version of space life as we live in quarantine and self-isolation. As schools, …

Rita Kamyar, M.D.

A #RotinaDaQuarentena ou porque precisa de um planner mais do que nunca

Rita Barandas Kamyar, M.D. Circadian Rhythm, Day Plans, Physicians, Productivity

Habitualmente queixamo-nos da rigidez que as rotinas do dia-a-dia impĂ”e Ă  nossa vida. As obrigaçÔes diĂĄrias, os horĂĄrios fixos, quer laborais quer escolares, e outros constrangimentos quotidianos implicam muitas vezes ausĂȘncia de tempo para atividades pessoais, projetos criativos e momentos de qualidade com a famĂ­lia. No entanto, a verdade Ă© que estas rotinas diĂĄrias, geradas em torno de obrigaçÔes e afazeres do …

Circadian Rhythms
and Night Shifts

Owaves Team Circadian Rhythm, Day Plans, Health Risks, Healthy Lifestyle, Routines, Time Hacks, Time Management, Tips and Tricks

As a doctor in training, night shifts are a consistent part of life. This gets especially difficult for someone who is into optimizing their health. The World Health Organization classifies night shift work as a ‘carcinogen’. Circadian rhythms dictate specific times at which we are physiologically optimized for performance in different domains. It’s hard to stay alert and productive at night as …

New Year or New Season?

New Year or New Season?

Royan Circadian Rhythm, Circannual Rhythm, Healthy Lifestyle, Productivity, Time Management, Uncategorized

January 1st, in the middle of winter, is actually an arbitrary date to start a new year… The date has no astronomical association, and is an inherited way of dividing up time from the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Before then, you might’ve seen Western countries start the new year on religious holidays like Christmas or Easter. The …