I curate articles from around the web that present an interesting perspective or helpful information at the intersection of behavior design, technology, and wellbeing. Each of these articles were featured in my October 2022 newsletter. I send out an update twice a month along with some notes on my latest work. Sign up for my newsletter here.
Hi friends,
I felt like a zombie 🧟♂️
Brain fog. Low ambition. Just tired for days.
Jet lag impacts me quite harshly. Not brain eating zombie harshness, but you get the idea.
I've done a lot of travel the past two months. Finally got out of the United States for the first time since January 2020 making first-time trips to Greece and Austria. That's a full day of travel both ways. Jet lag zombie level 10.
It's always easier going West when you "gain" time as it feels like you're getting a jump on the day. Or in the case of coming back from Europe, up so early I was waiting for daylight, and then transformed into a zombie by early evening.
Jet lag is effectively what most of the United States does twice a year for Daylight Saving Time. This Sunday it happens again when we "fall back" and gain an hour in the morning.
Moving our clocks back an hour resets our circadian rhythm, which shifts our own internal body clocks to be out of sync with our normal day and night cycles. Even just an hour will impact your energy levels, mood, and even your metabolism for several days, just like jet lag.
My protocol to manage "falling back" includes Friday and Saturday, going to bed 30 min later and sleeping in an extra 30 min on Saturday. Probably not schedule anything too stressful for Monday while your circadian clock resets. This can prevent the jet-lag effect that some people experience when they shift between standard and daylight savings time.
It's also best practice to get as much sunlight you can first thing in the morning, ideally directly outside (even if its overcast). This maximizes the amount of natural light you get and helps reset your circadian clock telling every cell in your body that this is the new start time to the day.
On my media list ...
Improve Your Sleep by Decoding Your Circadian Clocks
"After only one night of poor sleep, adults may experience brain fog and confused thinking the next day that affects their decision making, reaction time, and attention," Dr. Satchin Panda wrote in The Circadian Code.
When the brain and key organs are in sync with their individual circadian clocks, this is the circadian rhythm of our body, the ballast to health and longevity. It’s the key to more energy, sustained attention and better interactions with others.
How to Fall Back Without Missing a Beat
"While many scientists maintain that standard time is better aligned with human circadian biology, even a modest time adjustment can take some getting used to — particularly when it means shorter, darker days."
Shift your outdoor workouts or walk to the morning to get a dose of direct morning light. Your cortisol spikes, giving you energy, and your brain stops producing the sleep hormone melatonin.
“Morning light is how your body clock resets itself to the outside world,” Dr. Klerman explained in this NY Times article.
That's it for this edition.
Thanks for reading and be well,
Glen Lubbert
P.S. Hope you had a fun Halloween 🎃 🧟♂️
P.P.S. Sometimes you have to just let go and let the chips fall where they may.
I spent a while walking around this monument (pic below), even returning to it after my walking tour of die Innere Stadt of Vienna had completed.
It's the Holy Trinity Plague Column full of angels and cherubs with the gilded Father, Son, and Holy Spirit glistening atop its marble base.
Picture it, Vienna 1679 and the bubonic plague was ravaging the city. 75,000 Viennese died, about 1/3 of the city.
Emperor Leopold III was helpless to protect his people. No sophisticated mRNA vaccine was coming.
So he let go, dropped to his knees, something emperors of the time never did in public, and begged God to save the city.
As the story goes, Leapold's prayer was heard by Lady Faith, depicted right below him, carrying the cross. On the column, she's shown tossing an old naked woman, symbolizing the plague, into the abyss and saving the city.
As I walked around this beautiful column, I was reminded to focus on what you can control and leave what you can't up to fate, God, the universe... life.
