The Circadian Code: How Fixing Your Body’s Clock Unlocks Deep Energy, Mood Stability, and Metabolic Resilience
Before the gadgets and the biohacking fluff, Master Your Circadian Rhythm: the Ultimate, Free Health Reset
Let Me Paint a Picture You've Probably Seen:
An entrepreneur who works hard. Really hard. They absolutely love what they do, and they push and grind, but their schedule looks like a toddler scribbled on a page… Up at 2 or 3 am, “because their brain is on fire”, then sleep from 5 am to 10 am, or falling asleep on the sofa at 9 pm… then wide awake at 1 am. Working at 4 am with “creative clarity,” but barely functioning at 3 pm. Drinking alcohol in the evenings to switch off, then caffeine during the day to switch on… And their body is caught in the middle, screaming, “What on earth are we doing!?”
On the outside, they’re successful, but inside, their biology is falling apart, and they don’t even realise it.
The Big Secret No One is Talking About
Entrepreneurs love tools, gadgets and hacks, but here’s the truth: You cannot “optimise” a body whose internal clock is broken.
No gadget will save you. No supplement will fix you. No 4 a.m. “power hour” can out-hustle biology, because if your circadian rhythm is misaligned, EVERYTHING becomes harder:
your mood
your metabolism
your energy
your focus
your sleep
your hormones
your emotional resilience
your long-term health
Your circadian rhythm is the operating system of your body, and most entrepreneurs are running on a corrupted version of it.
When Your Body Doesn’t Know If It’s Day or Night
Most people don’t realise how quickly their internal clock gets confused. It takes just a few late nights, some 2 a.m. work sessions from bed, or sending midnight emails from your bedroom, then snoozing till 10 am and skipping morning sunlight, because you’re finally asleep. You get used to using alcohol to switch off and then caffeine to power through, and suddenly, your body is living in permanent jet lag. You’re in London… But biologically, you’re in Tokyo, then Hawaii, then New York, then back again, all within the same week.
All this leads to an overstimulated brain, chaotic energy, unpredictable moods and completely lost hormones. And don`t confuse it with the “entrepreneur life.” This is circadian collapse.
Here’s What Really Happens When Your Rhythm Breaks
When your circadian rhythm falls apart:
1. Cortisol peaks at the wrong times
Your brain is basically firing at the wrong hours, and you find yourself wired at 11 pm, foggy at 11 am. Completely exhausted after lunch and annoyingly alert at 2 am.
2. Melatonin gets confused
You may crash early only to find yourself awake in awkward hours of the night… Or lie awake until morning like your brain forgot where the off switch is.
3. Your mood tanks
The lack of a consistent rhythm leads to inconsistent levels of serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, making you irritable, anxious, overreactive to small things, and feeling unmotivated to follow through on even the goals you genuinely care about.
4. Alcohol turns into a sleep grenade
Alcohol doesn’t help you sleep; it knocks you unconscious, then detonates your nervous system a few hours later with cortisol and adrenaline. As it`s broken down, it disrupts melatonin release, increases nighttime heart rate, and activates the stress response, effectively flipping your body from recovery mode into fight-or-flight and pulling you out of deep sleep in the early hours. This is why so many people wake between 2 and 4 a.m. with a racing mind.
5. Your metabolism becomes confused
Eating at irregular times disrupts your body’s metabolic clock, especially when paired with poor sleep and evening alcohol. This misalignment interferes with leptin and ghrelin - the hormones that regulate satiety and hunger, making it harder to feel full and easier to overeat without realising it. Even with a good-quality diet, disrupted sleep and timing skew appetite signals, leading to higher overall intake, poorer glucose control, and gradual metabolic strain over time.
6. Creativity and decision-making plummet
Even the smartest entrepreneurs crumble when their prefrontal cortex (the brain’s CEO, the part that plans, prioritises, and keeps emotions in check) is sleep-deprived. This is why so many high performers feel “Wired but tired.” And it’s not their mindset, work ethic or lack of discipline. Their internal clock is broken.
Rebuild Your Circadian Rhythm: The Ultimate Free Reset
The good news is that you can fix this, and you don’t need a gadget or a supplement, or a complicated protocol. You need a stable rhythm.
1. Morning light within 30–60 minutes of waking
This is your body’s ON switch. Even 5–10 minutes helps to stabilise cortisol, mood, energy, and metabolic timing. Morning light is the single strongest signal your brain uses to set your entire circadian rhythm for the next 24 hours. It tells your brain “It’s daytime”, which correctly times cortisol release, anchors your sleep later that night, improves mood-regulating neurotransmitters, and synchronises peripheral clocks in your organs (including liver, gut, and muscles). Without morning light, your body never fully “starts the day”, and everything downstream (energy, focus, sleep quality, appetite regulation) becomes less predictable, no matter how good your diet or supplements are.
If you only fix one circadian habit, make it this one. You can find more info about it in my blog, Morning Signals: Anchor Your Body and Brain for Better Focus, Energy & Longevity
2. A consistent wake + sleep window
At first, this can feel pointless. You go to bed at the same time, but you can’t fall asleep. You lie there thinking, “This clearly isn’t working.” That’s normal. Your brain doesn’t adjust instantly; it learns timing through repetition. By waking and going to bed at roughly the same time every day, you’re teaching your circadian system when night truly begins. Over time, melatonin release shifts earlier and becomes more predictable, making sleep easier and deeper. This consistency is also what allows the glymphatic system (the brain’s waste-clearance system) to work properly during deep sleep, supporting long-term cognitive health. Falling asleep at the same time isn’t about control; it’s about giving your brain a reliable rhythm it can finally trust.
3. Stop working 2–3 hours before bed
Late-night work keeps the brain in problem-solving mode, elevating cortisol and adrenaline at the exact time the nervous system should be shifting into recovery. Even if you feel tired, mental stimulation delays melatonin release and increases the likelihood of middle-of-the-night awakenings. Creating a clear boundary between work and sleep gives your brain time to downshift, allowing sleep to happen naturally rather than being forced.
4. Alcohol and caffeine timing
Both alcohol and caffeine interfere with the brain’s ability to move through normal sleep stages, even if they don`t prevent you from falling asleep. Caffeine delays melatonin release and keeps the nervous system stimulated long after you feel tired, while alcohol initially sedates the brain but later triggers a rebound stress response as it’s metabolised. When either is used late in the day, sleep becomes lighter, more fragmented, and more prone to early-morning awakenings. Having them earlier (or reducing frequency throughout the week) gives your brain time to return to a natural rhythm before nighttime recovery begins.
5. Eat earlier
Your metabolism follows a daily rhythm just like your brain. Late meals keep insulin and digestive activity elevated at a time when the body is meant to shift into repair and recovery. When eating is pushed late (especially alongside poor sleep or alcohol), glucose regulation becomes less efficient, inflammation rises, and sleep quality suffers. Finishing meals earlier helps align digestion with your circadian timing, supporting more stable energy, better sleep, and metabolic resilience over time.
6. Build a calm-down routine
Sleep doesn’t start at bedtime; it starts with how you signal the end of the day. Consistent evening cues, such as dimmer lighting, slower movement, and quieter activities, help the nervous system transition from problem-solving mode to recovery mode. This shift lowers cortisol levels, supports the release of melatonin, and makes falling asleep feel natural rather than forced. Over time, these signals train the brain to recognise safety and predict rest.
When Your Body Has a Rhythm Again
When entrepreneurs restore their circadian rhythm, the change isn’t dramatic; it’s stable. Mornings feel easier. Mood becomes predictable. Cravings quiet down. Focus lasts longer. Sleep deepens. Decision-making sharpens. The constant internal friction disappears. Your nervous system steps out of emergency mode, and your brain regains access to clarity, creativity, and emotional regulation.
This is the real shift. You stop operating like a firefighter, constantly reacting, exhausted, overstimulated, and start operating like a strategist: calm, clear, energised, and decisive. Not because you forced discipline or added another hack, but because your body is finally working with you instead of against you.
If you’re curious which habit is most disrupting your rhythm, start with my short self-assessment QUIZ to uncover the biggest biological bottleneck holding you back. And if you want personalised guidance, my coaching helps you rebuild energy, sleep, and focus in a way that fits real life, without gadgets, extremes, or burnout. Small, consistent changes today create a foundation your performance and health can rely on for years to come.
