Manage Energy, Not Time for Better Mood and Mental Health (encore) [282]

Rest and recreation are essential tools for resilience and good mental health as they help support the biological rhythms your body is already running. We'll dig into these rhythms more in this episode by breaking down three layers of the body's natural cycles: Ultradian rhythms (the short cycles within each day), circadian rhythms (24 hour cycle), and infradian rhythms (longer cycles like menstruation and seasonal changes). The practical thread through all three is the same: manage energy, not time. Notice your rhythm and do your best to honor what your body is telling you.   Note: This is an encore episode, originally aired during Joy Lab's Roots of Resilience Series (Element: Resilience). It's replaying here to close the month of Re-Creation because it goes straight to the biological foundation of why rest and recreation aren't optional extras — they are literally built into your body. As Aimee puts it in her intro: these rhythms are not something to fight. They're something to come home to.   About: The Joy Lab Podcast is an Ambie-nominated podcast that blends science and soul to help you cope better with stress, anxiety, and depression. It's hosted by integrative psychiatrist Dr. Henry Emmons and holistic mental health researcher Dr. Aimee Prasek. The podcast is best paired with the Joy Lab App.   Bonus: spread some joy and keep this podcast ad-free by donating (Joy Lab is powered by the nonprofit Pathways North and your donations are tax-deductible).   Listen & follow the Joy Lab Podcast on your favorite listening app: Spotify | Apple | YouTube   Full transcript here   Sources and Notes: Joy Lab Experiments: Take the next leap in your wellbeing journey with step-by-step practices to help you build and maintain the elements of joy in your life. Joy Lab episodes referenced: Joy Lab Podcast #13 (The Roots of Resilience) This episode is a broad overview of what we'll be talking about over the next 9 episodes. It's a really helpful summary!  Roots of Resilience Series starts with episode #53: Roots of Resilience Chemistry of Calm (Dr. Emmons' book referenced in this series) The 20 Minute Break (book) Linnaeus' Flower Clock How does the brain deal with cumulative stress? A review with focus on developmental stress, HPA axis function and hippocampal structure in humans Cumulative Stress and Health   Questions this episode was made for:   Q: Why do I crash mid-afternoon and feel like I can't focus no matter how hard I try? A: That's your ultradian rhythm doing exactly what it's designed to do. This episode explains the 60-to-90-minute focus window, why pushing through leads to a steeper crash, and what a 15-to-20-minute break actually does to restore your brain's capacity.   Q: Could my sleep or stress problems be connected to my hormones being out of rhythm? A: It's certainly possible. This episode walks through how cortisol fluctuates naturally across 24 hours, what happens when that pattern gets disrupted by chronic stress (including the classic 3 AM wake-up), and how protecting your sleep is the single most powerful thing you can do to help let your system rebalance itself.    Key moments: [00:00] Aimee's intro to the encore: this episode closes the month of Re-Creation by grounding rest in biology — rhythms aren't optional, they're built in [01:00] Welcome — the Element of Resilience, Roots of Resilience Series, third root: aligning with nature [01:30] Henry: bio-rhythms might be the most important and most easily ignored root of resilience [02:00] Natural world runs on cycles — plants and animals fall in line naturally; humans have the choice to ignore or fight them  [03:00] Inside the body: hormones, energy, focus, and mood are all directly shaped by these rhythms [03:30] Depression can be a problem with internal timing — getting out of sync with bio-rhythms; Chronobiology and body-clock research: a booming field; SAD as a familiar example of seasonal rhythm [04:30] Three rhythms to cover: ultradian (under 24 hours), circadian (24 hours), infradian (more than 24 hours) [05:00] Ultradian rhythms: most overlooked, most ignored in the typical workday; What we do instead: push through, reach for sugar or caffeine, experiment with nootropics — when the body is asking for a break [07:00] Henry: managing energy rather than time — noticing when you're fading and honoring it early before the crash [08:00] Dr. Anders Ericsson's violinist study: comparing professional soloists with good-but-not-great performers [10:00] The lesson: excellence came from tending to rhythms, not from fighting through them — more practice was possible because of better recovery [10:30] Transition to circadian rhythms — sleep is the big one here [11:30] Henry: sleep might be the best mood stabilizer available — the research is unambiguous; People with depression + sleep problems who improve their sleep double their chances of recovery [12:00] People without depression who develop sleep problems double their risk of becoming depressed [12:30] Cortisol fluctuates naturally over 24 hours — lowest during deep sleep, starts rising around 3–4 AM, peaks in morning, dips post-lunch, rises again mid-afternoon, declines through evening [13:30] The post-lunch cortisol dip: a natural signal for rest, a walk, or a nap [14:00] The HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal): when this gets out of sync, depression can follow [14:30] Aimee: the 3–4 AM cortisol surge — when under stress, that's exactly when people wake up and can't get back to sleep [15:30] Mood problems can arise or worsen from fighting these natural cycles — enormous friction and energy wasted [16:00] Ways to tap into circadian rhythm: notice the animals and nature around you — dogs, chickens, birds, flowers [17:30] Light exposure: get bright light in the first 1–2 hours after waking; dim lights significantly in the evening [18:00] In winter: dawn simulator or bright light device in the morning; 15-minute session around 5 PM to help set sleep timing [20:00] Adrenal fatigue: when stress goes on long enough, adrenal glands become overtaxed — a state of profound depletion, controversial but real [20:30] Possible connection to long COVID — a pattern Henry has seen clinically [21:30] Infradian rhythms: cycles longer than 24 hours — less obvious but powerful when you become aware of them [22:00] Two key infradian rhythms for mental health: menstruation and seasonal affective disorder [22:30] Menstruation: predictable changes in mood, energy, and sleep — part of a sophisticated, elegant cycle [24:30] Seasonal depression: root cause is the change in circadian rhythm — shorter days disrupt bio-rhythms [25:00] Henry's short course on SAD: convince your body it's not the middle of winter — bright light early and late, fresh light foods, keep moving [26:00] Closing wisdom from Lao-Tzu: "Nature does not hurry. Yet everything is accomplished."   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!    Please remember that this content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice and is not a replacement for advice and treatment from a medical professional. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health professional before beginning any diet change, supplement, or lifestyle program. Please see our terms for more information. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call the NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264 available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., ET. OR text "HelpLine" to 62640 or email NAMI at [email protected]. Visit NAMI for more. You can also call or text SAMHSA at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Find more mental health resources here.