CHRONOBIOLOGY

There are people who believe astrological signs impact their personalities and the events in their lives. (My dad used to call such people hookies––rhymes with zoo keys.) Dan Quayle and I share the same birthday, so don’t be talking to me about horoscopes. What amazes me is that people believe in those predictions (which are concocted in a damp basement in Marin County), but pay no attention whatsoever to zeitgebers. Can you believe that?

Zeitgebers truly do impact our lives, and when you live in the country, you learn to respect them. They are those cues in the environment that your body wants you to pay attention to. Your body wants to be in sync with the swaying and spinning of the earth and galaxy. If you ignore your body’s requests, you will be out of sorts. Ignore your circadian rhythms at your own peril. It’s so much easier on your body and your being if you dance to these fascinating rhythms rather than struggling against them.

Bodies notice when the earth rotates and when it revolves, when the sun and moon rise and set, when the tides come and go. Bodies notice when temperatures rise and fall. Based on that information, your hypothalamus decides when you should go to sleep and when you should awaken. I bet most of the ugly news on the front page is spawned by those who ignore their circadian rhythms.

In the very early morning, when the eastern sky begins to lighten, there is a particular quiet, a peacefulness. There is a bit of unclaimed time. All of your systems are sitting down, having a cup of tea, saying “Ahhhhhhh.” You can’t hear them if you’re still sleeping. And you certainly can’t hear them if you get up late, rush around, forget things, and snap at everyone in your path. It ain’t natural, and it will burn out your clutch. 

Cityscapes obscure these environmental cues. Who even knows when the sun is up? Is it when it’s visible over the Hamburg Inn? No wonder they serve breakfast until noon. Has it really set when it falls behind the Fin and Feather building? Out in the country, my eyelids drop just as the sun sinks below the horizon, early in the evening in winter and later in the summer. And when a shimmer of morning light seeps through my eyelids just before sunrise, my body gets the message and nudges me awake. 

Get thee to where you can see the zeitgebers all around you. Zeitgeber literally means "time giver." Early to bed and early to rise, and you will be given the gift of time. 

Good night,  my dearie, dearie. . . .