Circadian Rhythms: What They Are and How to Recognise Your Own

Just as the heart has its own beat, every person has their own life rhythm. One person recovers in three hours, another needs a full day, a third needs an entire week. This is not a matter of weakness or poor discipline — it is a biological reality that cannot simply be overridden by willpower.

What a biological rhythm means in practice

A biorhythm is your individual cycle of recovery, activity, and rest — written into you by nature. It shows up in everything: when work feels effortless, when your energy peaks, when a night shift is no problem at all, and when it feels like it is destroying you. There is no universally "correct" schedule — there is only yours.

How to recognise your own rhythm

You can only discover your personal rhythm through observation and experimentation — much like learning which fruit you enjoy by tasting different ones. Practical starting points:

• Sleep. Track when you fall asleep and wake up, and how you feel in the morning — drained or rested. Even a basic wearable can help you notice the moment your pulse drops noticeably: that is the signal of deep sleep beginning.
• Energy across the day. Note which activities, interactions, and types of work give you more energy, and which leave you depleted.
• Basic physical indicators. Regularly measuring pulse and blood pressure is a simple way to see how your body responds to effort and rest.
• Diet and lifestyle. Pay attention to what you eat, at what times, and how it affects how you feel.

Even a month of consistent observation gives you enough material to start seeing genuine patterns.

Why living by someone else's rhythm wears you down

When you build a routine based on a template someone else designed — out of a book or a general recommendation — you are working against your own nature. The doctor compares this to designing park pathways: you can lay asphalt wherever it looks good on a plan, but people will still walk their own trail. Neurons work exactly the same way — they build pathways where it is natural for that particular person.

Trying to live by a borrowed schedule through constant extra effort leads not to results, but to burnout and worsening health.

The first step toward your own schedule

Do not start by designing a perfect timetable. Start by observing: what actually gives you energy, wellbeing, and vitality? Then organise your day so there is more of it. Your personal daily rhythm is not something you invent — it is something you discover.