Strategies for resetting the circadian clock

To effectively shift your circadian clock while traveling, it’s crucial to establish a strong diurnal rhythm before departure. By doing this, your body will rely on familiar cues to modulate sleep-wake cycles more effectively, in combination with the adjuncts listed below. If your circadian clock is already dysregulated before leaving, these strategies will not be as effective

We don't need to spend too much time on this, but the most important factors in setting your circadian rhythm are establishing a healthy relationship with light in the morning and evening. This means getting adequate sunlight, particularly 30 minutes of morning sun upon waking, and blocking blue light at night. This involves turning off bright overhead lights and replacing them with ambient red light bulbs in lamps or using blue-blocking glasses when looking at phones, computers, or TV screens. These strategies will also be important to use when you arrive in your new time zone when and if possible.

Many things included in this guide can also be used to help restore the circadian rythmn in the absence of travel. They can be very useful for shortening the ‘adaption’ period some go through (increased lethargy, sleepiness etc) when changing their light viewing habits initially.

Melatonin Mega-Dose + Stimulant

One way to potentially mitigate the effects of jet lag is to use a strategic combination of stimulants and sedatives. To minimize the effects of jet lag, start these strategies before landing. For example, if your flight leaves midday and you’re traveling to another country where it’s late in the evening, you’ll want to fall asleep on the plane so you wake up when it’s daytime at your destination. A mega-dose of melatonin (10-20 mg) can be taken on the plane, combined with a stimulant upon arrival in the morning. Modafinil (or its non-prescription form, adrafinil) or even caffeine can be useful. This approach can also be used on the return trip, but you may need to adjust the strategy depending on your departure time—for instance, using a stimulant on the flight followed by a sedative upon arrival.

https://www.mitolife.co/products/melatonin

Sleep Strategies

1. Blue Blockers + Blackout Shades/Mask

Using blue blockers and blackout shades or masks on your flight can be an effective sleep trigger, especially if you’ve already entrained your circadian cycle with light/dark cues.

Brand: TrueDark or Bon charge

2. Fischerwallace neurostim

The Fischer Wallace device is something I’ve use reliably for inducing sleep. The device is around $300 and works by delivering low-level electrical stimulation to the brain through two electrodes placed on either side of the forehead. The device is thought to modulate the brain's electrical activity, which could potentially help regulate sleep patterns. The electrical stimulation influences the release of neurotransmitters involved in sleep regulation like serotonin and melatonin. The device can be used for 20min before you want to fall asleep.

https://www.mitolife.co/products/melatonin?_pos=1&_sid=379f1f7d0&_ss=r

Restoring the circadian rhythm

Cold tempature exposure (in the morning):

The mammalian cold shock response is a physiological reaction that occurs when the body is exposed to cold temperatures. This response involves the activation of various systems in the body to help maintain homeostasis and protect the body. Some of these include modulation of gene expression, particularly circadian genes. Cold exposure can also impact gene expression in various tissues and organs in the body, leading to changes in metabolism, energy expenditure, and other physiological processes involved in the circadian clock. You can read more about this in detail in the article I wrote on cold exposure bellow

https://www.patreon.com/posts/106693972?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

Sun exposure or bright light

be sure to get a lot of sun exposure, particularly in the morning of whatever time zone you’re in. If it’s cloudy, an SAD lamp off Amazon or a red light panel (shining towards the face) can also work well.

Injectable Epitalon or capsule bio-regulator

Epitalon is a synthetic bio-regulator tetrapeptide with potential to modulate the pineal gland and influence circadian rhythms. The pineal gland is responsible for the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness. Epitalon directly regulates the stimulate and secretion of melatonin, which can help reset the internal body clock and improve sleep quality, particularly in cases of jetlag. You can almost think of bio-regulators as adaptogenic compounds that also repair and restore the health of the organs they’re used in. One of the primary ways Epitalon works on improving the circadian rythm is by directly restoring the health and function of the pineal gland itself. Epi also influence the expression of genes associated with the circadian clock, such as the CLOCK and BMAL1 genes, which are central to regulating the mammalian circadian clock. You can think of Epitalon as a fool to help you return back to circadian homestatis quicker and more efficiently. I think it’s one of the more powerful recommendations listed on here

MY experimental application Epitalon is best used for 10-20 days at 5-10mg 10-20 days BEFORE a trip. It can be repeated again after the trip is desired, but the benefits are relatively long lasting. Oral bio-regulators like Endoluten (2-4 capsules daily) can be used in a similar fashion although injections tend to work best

https://peptide-bioregulator.com/?rfsn=7063681.259e4da (capsules)

https://www.peptidesciences.com/epithalon-epitalon-20mg (injectable)

SR9009

SR9009 is a synthetic compound that is a potent agonist of Rev-erb proteins, which are important components of the circadian clock. SR9009 can directly regulate the circadian rhythm by affecting clock gene activity. small molecules like SR9009 could potentially help in recovering from jet lag more rapidly by l modulating clock genes similar to Epitalon. Additionally, circadian drugs have the potential to treat metabolic issues associated with disrupted circadian rhythms and counter the disturbed sleep that commonly affects elderly individuals. It’s impact on the CR is also why it’s being implicated in the treatment of cance

MY experimental application: 10mg, 3x daily 10 days before and continued through out the trip. 30 days total

SR9009 Solution 10mg/ml – 50ml

Lithium orotate:

Some research suggests that lithium may influence the expression of clock genes that control the circadian rhythm as well.A few studies have explored the use of lithium in the treatment of circadian rhythm disorders, such as delayed sleep phase syndrome. Lithium's effects on neurotransmitters and clock genes migjt play a role in its potential therapeutic benefits seen in some of these conditions.

Dosage: 5mg in the morning. I just split the mitolife capsules in half.

https://www.mitolife.co/products/lithium

CODE: GRANTFOWLER10

Time-restricted eating:

Synchronization of internal clock can also be achieved via adhering to a consistent eating schedule with a restricted time window. By doing this, you can help synchronize your body's internal clock (as well as the timing and release of key hormones) with your daily eating patterns. I tend to think a 10 hour eating window is ideal for most people. The best way to go about dojng this is fasting for the first hour after you wake up and then finish eating 3-4 hours before you go to sleep. Ideally, you should be having your first and last meals of the time consistently around the same time if possible. This is difficult while traveling but it can be a tool you use before and after to return to homeostasis quickly.

(To be continued)