{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Method - Health in the Real World","title":"Ep. 14 - Night owl or early bird? Hacking your body clock, with Professor Russell Foster","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2922,"description":"Ever woken up exactly one minute before your alarm? Or landed on the other side of the world with a very accurate sense of what time it is back home? Our bodies have fine-tuned internal clocks that set the pace for our circadian rhythm. But why did we evolve to work like this? And what happens to our health when we’re out of sync?\nThis week, as a follow up from our conversation with Kathryn Pinkham, Greg and Charlie sit down with Dr. Russell Foster, for a crash course on circadian biology.\nRussell is a Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, Head of the Department of Ophthalmology, and a leading voice on how our internal clocks work. Russell was instrumental in discovering a previously unknown light-sensing system in the eye that helps regulate our circadian rhythms. He is also the author of Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock. \nIn our science section, Russell explains what the biological clock is and why we evolved to have one. He walks us through how our clocks are reset each day by time cues - and why light is chief amongst them. Russell also discusses the concept of chronotypes: why some of us are larks while others are owls, and why that difference is biological, not simply a lifestyle choice. We also delve into why our modern environments can put us out of sync. \nIn the practice segment, Russell, Greg, and Charlie get into what we can do to readjust our clocks, or better work with our natural day-night rhythm. We talk about:What night owls can actually do when they’re forced into a 9-5 world - and how light and exercise can help (22:06)Why seeking bright light the moment you wake up is not a good tip for early birds (24:30)What shift workers can do to support their clocks despite inconsistent schedules (26:19)Finally, we turn to your listener questions in the experience section. Russell shares his own technique for falling back asleep in the middle of the night (a hint: it involves BBC Radio 4), explains why sleep tends to...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/c6ypnx0JQE1JWxTnltulvgV2WOBVgiujrfWR7NGWuFo/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80YjM5/NmQzNmM1MTQ3M2Zi/ZWFhZmU2NzQ3MDNm/ZjU5MC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}