Why you should know TCM times of day
Do you wake up at the same time every night or feel a slump at 3pm every afternoon?
The TCM body clock has some wisdom to share with you!
Most of us see our circadian rhythm as our internal body clock. When it gets dark it’s time to snooze and when the sun is up so are we, but there’s so much more to this ticking timekeeper!
Traditional Chinese medicine see every two-hour increment throughout the day, 1-3 or 7-9 as times when each organ and its related meridians are hardest at work.
Each organ time of day affects us differently from regulating our productivity or our moods to boosting brain power and energy. Feeling into when your energy ebbs and flows throughout the day can provide valuable insight into our health imbalances. A good example of this is feeling groggy and slow to get started in the morning which could point to a digestive problem. Similarly, waking up at the same time every night could point to an organ channel out of balance.
I believe that this ancient wisdom is the modern ritual we all need to create our perfect day and our healthiest lives.
5-7am
WAKE UP & GO
ORGAN: Large Intestine
ROLE: Cleanse
ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS: Pride, courage // guilt and shame
The early bird gets the worm, approved by Chinese medicine.
First things first, drink your water and do NOT drink it cold. From a Chinese medicine perspective cold stagnates and constricts, the opposite of what gets a healthy bowel moving.
Drink at least 500ml of warm water (mix the kettle with some filter)
Your body is naturally detoxing at this time so skip the caffeine and get moving, a brisk walk or yoga flow helps get things going, clearing the body & the mind.
Large intestine time is also known as heavy emotion time, emotions that sink those we “push down and don’t address” such as guilt or shame. Finding a moment to focus on the positive emotion of this time, courage, and find full relaxation to process anything that comes up. I do this upon waking, it gives me an excuse to have an extra 5 minutes in bed….
7-9am
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS
ORGAN: Stomach
ROLE: Digest
ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS: Trust, Openness // Nervousness, over thinking.
Don’t hate me buttttt the smoothie isn’t cutting it.
I spent years as an 8am smoothie person because it was easy to make, on the go, highly nutritious and makes you feel great, right? In the moment, yes but it slows your digestion for the rest of the day so you might feel great right away but have gut issues later. The rule is no cold foods or water in the morning, try swapping your afternoon snack with your morning smoothie and see how you go.
Opt for a warm breakfast with protein, carbs and good fats, toast, avo and eggs, chicken rice congee, breakfast salad, protein oats or if you like a light breakfast maybe just a warming mug of coconut chai tea.
This time of the day is the time to take a deep breath before walking out the door, put your trust in the universe and set an intention for your day. Let go of any lingering overthinking, you’ve got this.
TIP: Try organising your snacks for the day at this time to limit stress snacking and an afternoon crash.
9-11am
PRIME BRAIN POWER
ORGAN: Spleen
ROLE: Build
9-11am
ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS: Contentment, satisfaction // worry
Grounded in the earth the Spleen is in Chinese medicine the most important digestive organ responsible for converting energy (qi) to nourishment (blood), so if you haven’t eaten by now, you still can but if you don’t, you’ll probably feel that fuzzy lightheaded feeling by 11am. Food qi is needed to build blood and nourish the brain at this time, ready to take on your most challenging work!
Worry, grounded in the earth element, an unresolved emotion that often lingers.
Lingering worry impairs the spleen’s ability to create blood and provide nourishment this can lead to many deficiencies’ a common problem amongst our modern society. Practicing being present strongly benefits this time of day even if that’s within your work. Try blocking all other distractions for these two hours, internet, phones and social media. You’ll be amazed by how much you achieve but also how you feel after.
We call this “a flow state” completely present, you lose time doing something you excel at.
We all want to feel satisfied at 9am, well fed and enjoying the work in front of us, if you don’t feel like this maybe ask yourself why? Look into other breaky options, or rearranging your desk at work.
11-1pm
FRIENDS WITH “HEALTH” BENEFITS
ORGAN: Heart
ROLE: Nourish
ASSOCIAHED EMOTIONS: Joy, Love, Happiness // Hate, Impatience
I was speaking to a friend who works in the corporate world, he explained how whenever he went overseas everyone from his workspace would join at midday for a shared one-hour lunch. Meanwhile, at home in Australia 12 would tick over, some people would stay eating at their desks, others would skip lunch completely or run out the door to spend lunch alone. In Chinese medicine this is the time for togetherness & engagement, there’s no better heart medicine than a warm meal over good conversation, shared with friends.
TIP: If you work from home or work alone try calling a loved one at lunch and checking in on their day.
1-3pm
PROCRASTINATION STATION
ORGAN: Small intestine
ROLE: Organise
ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS: Knowingness // insecurity
You’re digesting lunch so it’s time to sit down and do those things you’ve been putting off. Organise that draw in your desk that’s been bugging you, sort out your unread emails from spam. During this time your body is deliberating between pure and impure substances so if you ate something over lunch your body doesn’t like you’ll feel the bloat now, try keeping a food diary.
Be sure of your knowingness and trust the decisions you make, use this time for organization, decisions making and deep thinking.
TIP: If you find yourself “constantly indecisive” beyond your nature, your body may be pointing at a health concern such as SIBO, (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), check this against your physical symptoms.
3-5pm
YOU FORGOT YOUR H20
ORGAN: Bladder
ROLE: Clear
ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS: Calm, introverted // storing, irritation
When it hits 3pm and you realise you haven’t drunk any water since breakfast, you’re irritated craving sweet things as a ‘pick me up’ but really, you’re dehydrated AF.
Now’s the time to have that breakfast smoothie if you really want it, loaded with mineral rich vege’s and protein for a pick me up without the caffeine or sugar crash.
TIP: A great time to have a little bit of salt, your bladder loves moderate amounts of salt paired with a brew of delicious ginger tea.
5-7pm
SELF-CARE O’CLOCK
ORGAN: Kidney
ROLE: Nurture
ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS: Bravery, confidence // fear, anxiety
Time to choose you, work is over for the day (or hint, it should be) or maybe you’re a ‘work from home mum’ (because having kids looks like the most demanding job in the world to me). Your kidneys are your energy stores, in this lifetime and past so if you feel tired now think, what did I spend my energy on? Then re-build those reserved doing something you love or eating a nourishing dinner.
For some people it’s a walk after work, a hot shower, an exercise class, a moment of silence, a cuddle from a friend, whatever calms your sympathetic nervous system and deeply nourishes you in that moment.
7-9pm
FRISKY OR SLEEPY?
ORGAN: Pericardium
ROLE: Protect
ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS: Self-expression // Protection
The pericardium protects the heart, think the helper to its beating function. Responsible for circulation it has a role in both reproduction and brain health.
Now is the perfect time to wind down, read a book to your kids, talk through your day, get intimate with your partner or have a bath with your favourite oils.
9-11pm
HIT THE HAY
ORGAN: Triple Heater / Thyroid, Adrenals
ROLE: Balance
ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS: Relaxation // fatigue
Your body is busy balancing your endocrine system and adjusting metabolic functions, avoid eating during this time and exposure to blue lights. Drink 500ml of water an hour before bed, do some breathing exercises and relax. You earnt it!
11-1am
SLEEP EASY SISTER
ORGAN: Gallbladder
ROLE: Excrete
ASSOCIATED EMOTION: Resentment
Your gallbladder gets busy excreting bile, digesting fats and working on cellular repair of the tissues. Your only job is to sleep, if you get any pain over this time have a look at your diet and fat intake, another sign of poor fat digestion or excess fats (good or bad) is small temporal bumps on the skin.
1-3am
DREAM & DETOX
ORGAN: Liver
ROLE: detoxify
1-3am
ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS: Kindness, generosity // anger, frustration
Most of us know our Liver must process all our naughty habits from alcohol and drugs to stress and poor diet our Liver really takes on the load. During this time our Liver is detoxing, restoring & regenerating, in Chinese medicine we would say during this time the ‘Hun’ returns to the Liver guiding us into a deep sleep and dream like state. The ‘Hun’ is like the western ‘soul’ if the Hun does not return to the Liver, we won’t rest so well or sleep so deeply, if the Hun is rested, we will have a deep sleep.
If you wake up during this time this is a sign your Liver is overwhelmed with physical detox or emotions of anger or frustration and for women it could be gynecological timing, a Chinese herbalist can help with this!
3-5am
BREATHE IN PEACE
ORGAN: Lungs
ROLE: Heal
ASSOCIATED EMOTIONS: Grief, sadness
During sleep your soft breaths and calm mind are working together to oxygenate and transport nutrients around your body while you’re in a state of complete rest. Keep an eye on waking up at this time, experience how you’re feeling. Often deep grief and sadness causes people to wake very early, if this resonates with you maybe see someone, try energy healing, kinesiology or just connect with a friend.
Our bodies are always talking to us, take the time to listen, what is yours trying to say?
With love,
