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How to Reset Your Circadian Rhythm & Get the Best Sleep of Your Life

Know how to reset your circadian rhythm. Establish a routine, avoid caffeine and alcohol, sleep comfortably, and manage light exposure.

When tossing and turning at night, struggling to fall asleep, you probably don’t think about your circadian rhythm's role. You’re more likely to blame your insomnia on stress, anxiety, or too much caffeine. While these can all contribute to poor sleep, they’re not the only culprits. When your internal body clock is out of whack, it can make it difficult to fall asleep when needed and wake up refreshed. So, how to become a morning person?

This article will walk you through how to bring your circadian rhythm back into balance so you can sleep easily, wake up refreshed, and enjoy deep, restorative sleep every night. Sunlight exposure, especially in the morning, is one of the best ways to reset your circadian rhythm naturally.

SunSeek’s daily sunlight exposure tracker can help you track and optimize your sunlight exposure to get your sleep on track.

How Do I Know if My Circadian Rhythm is Off?

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Circadian rhythms are multiple physical changes that occur in the body consistently over every 24 hours. Nearly all living beings have circadian rhythms, including plants and microorganisms. In humans, circadian rhythms are controlled by a “master” clock in the brain. These rhythms keep people in sync with their external environments. Circadian rhythms influence when hormones are released, influencing when we feel tired and awake. For example, when the eyes are exposed to darkness, they produce the hormone melatonin. Melatonin then makes a person feel exhausted and want to sleep.

How to Reset Your Circadian Rhythm and Improve Sleep

If you work the third shift, pull all-nighters (whether it’s studying or bingeing a TV show), or experience jetlag, your internal clock might be off. Circadian rhythm, the name given to your body’s 24-hour internal clock, controls your body’s sleep-wake cycle. “It’s not just for sleep,” says behavioral sleep medicine psychologist Alicia Roth, PhD. “It’s for everything that goes on in our body. We have internal clocks for our hormones, our immune system, our digestion. Our organs all run on some sort of timing system.” And everyone’s internal clock varies, you might be an early riser, a night owl or somewhere in between. Can you reset your circadian rhythm if you feel tired and think your internal clock is off? Dr. Roth gives us advice on how to improve our sleep schedule.

How Do Circadian Rhythms Work

The truth is: We’re sensitive creatures, and that’s a good thing! Our circadian rhythms respond to slight changes in the environment and within ourselves. These changes can be so subtle that we're oblivious to them. Our internal operating system still processes the changes and alerts our cells to adjust accordingly. You can think of your many circadian rhythms like gears that are all connected and causing each other to turn. Governing these gears is a master clock that keeps them running together. This master clock — the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN — comprises 20,000 nerve cells. The SCN lives in the hypothalamus portion of our brain and receives input from our eyes — exceptionally light.

How Circadian Rhythms Affect Sleep and Health

Internally, the two most essential genes in guiding our circadian rhythms are the "period” and “cryptochrome” genes, which signal specific proteins to build up in the nuclei of our cells at night and lessen during the day. Externally, our circadian rhythms are also guided by natural light, temperature, air pressure, and other factors. When our circadian rhythms work correctly, they help us achieve regular, restful sleep. And when our circadian rhythms are out of whack, they can harm how we feel and function. When that happens, these natural rhythms, which generally run smoothly and without any effort on our part, require a little help to get back on track.

What Circadian Rhythms Affect Sleep?

Our sleep-wake cycle is the most noticeable of our circadian rhythms. Here’s how it works: When our SCN detects darkness, it tells the brain to produce more melatonin, which makes us sleepy. When the SCN detects light in the morning, it tells the brain to slow melatonin production so we can wake up more quickly. Because of this, our bodies generally know when it’s time to wake up and when it’s time to go to sleep for optimal functioning. Understanding this natural cycle can go a long way in helping us sleep better without resorting to unpleasant interventions like addictive sleeping pills and jarring alarms.

What Throws Your Circadian Rhythm Out of Whack?

Unfortunately, our modern lives have introduced many sensory inputs that can disrupt how our circadian rhythms affect sleep. Artificial light, exposure to blue light from electronics, noisy streets, caffeine, stress, and alcohol can all disrupt our circadian rhythms. There are also internal factors that can cause circadian rhythm disruptions, including our genes and our hormones.

What Happens When Your Circadian Rhythm is Disrupted

Getting less sleep than is healthy for adults (less than seven hours per night) and significantly shifting your sleep schedule (sleeping in several hours later on weekends compared to weekdays or traveling across time zones) are among the most common disruptions to your body's clock. Other factors can disrupt circadian rhythms, too. Exposure to sunlight is a big one. The natural light-dark cycle dramatically affects your body clock. Some people who are blind, for instance, have disrupted circadian rhythms because they’re not getting that light input to the master clock in the brain. Research suggests that this can lead to a condition where the body fails to sync to the environment and begins “drifting,” causing them to experience extended periods of what feels like jet lag, Wright says.

How Lifestyle Choices Disrupt Circadian Rhythms

An overnight work schedule is another factor problematic for circadian rhythms, even if you get adequate sleep, Wright says. Spending too much time indoors under artificial lights, particularly later in the day, may also disrupt the body’s natural rhythms, pushing you toward a later bedtime, as past research involving young adults suggests. Subsequently, that bedtime shift may make waking up the following day more difficult. (The body’s circadian cycles are not designed for late-night TV binges.)

How Eating, Exercise, and Substances Affect Your Circadian Rhythm

Eating habits, such as having dinner or a large snack too close to bedtime, can signal the brain to rev up digestion and, therefore, stay awake, Wright says. Research suggests that exercise can also send signals in the body that affect circadian rhythms. Long-term use of certain drugs, like caffeine, melatonin, or marijuana, may also impact your circadian rhythms, Breus says.

Can You Reset Your Circadian Rhythm?

Yes, you can reset your circadian rhythm. But first, it’s essential to understand your circadian rhythm. “I tell a lot of patients that they’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole,” says Dr. Roth. “For example, they might be natural night owls, and their body wants to go to bed at midnight, but they’re pushing their body to go to bed at nine.” In this example, because your body is not set up to go to bed that early, you might have trouble falling asleep and waking up when you’d like.

How External Cues Influence Your Circadian Rhythm

“It’s also ideal to be aware of your circadian rhythm because it also dictates when you’re going to be most alert during the day and when you’re going to be the most productive,” says Dr. Roth. “People who are night owls tend to be most productive in the later evening. And people who are morning people tend to be most productive in the morning.” Factors like light, temperature, and when you eat also affect your circadian rhythm. These are known as zeitgebers, external cues that impact your internal clock. “So the sun is a zeitgeber,” says Dr. Roth. “Our school schedule, our work schedule, when we exercise—those are all zeitgebers. We can do things to change our circadian rhythm by what we expose ourselves to.”

How to Tell It’s Time for a Reset Circadian Rhythm

You might need to reset your circadian rhythm if you:

Have trouble falling asleep.
Have trouble staying awake in the evening.
Have trouble waking in the morning.
Have trouble focusing on daily tasks and responsibilities.

If you’re having trouble resetting your circadian rhythm independently, a sleep medicine specialist or a behavioral sleep medicine psychologist can help determine if you have a circadian rhythm disorder.

Understanding Circadian Rhythm Disorders and Treatment Options

“A circadian rhythm disorder is when your preferred sleep schedule isn’t aligned with what you want it to be,” says Dr. Roth. “Your doctor can recognize these disorders, do an assessment, and figure out how to help treat them.” Dr. Roth says treatments can include:

Changing schedules
Habits and behaviors
Using light therapy
Adding melatonin supplements

You may even need treatment for a condition like nocturnal lagophthalmos. “Our circadian rhythms evolve over time,” says Dr. Roth. “As we age, our circadian timing gets earlier. People in their 50s, 60s, and 70s may start to want to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. If you were a night owl as a teenager, you could be a morning person when you’re an older adult.”

How to Reset Your Circadian Rhythm

Getting outside to soak up some sunlight shortly after waking up can help reset your circadian rhythm. Morning light exposure tells your brain it’s time to be alert, helping you feel more awake. Research shows that bright light exposure in the morning can help shift circadian rhythms earlier, especially for people with delayed sleep phase disorder. If you want to stay up later at night instead, get light exposure in the evening or night once you’re feeling tired. Morning sunlight works well to help reset circadian rhythms since human circadian rhythms evolved in response to living on a planet with daylight and nights. If you don’t live in a sunny area or can’t easily access the outdoors, you can also use a bright light therapy lamp for light exposure.

Exercise in the Morning

Morning exercise gets your body moving and helps wake you up. Additionally, daily exercise improves sleep duration and quality at night. Exercising too late can wake up the body and mind, making it harder to fall asleep, so you should exercise earlier in the day—especially when working to reset your circadian rhythm.

Minimize Alcohol and Caffeine

Drinking caffeine during the day makes it harder to fall asleep and increases nighttime or early morning wakings, thus decreasing your overall sleep quality. You should avoid caffeine if you experience sleep challenges, including daytime sleepiness. If you consume it, do so in minimal amounts and only in the morning. Similarly, alcohol negatively affects sleep, even though it causes drowsiness and should be avoided.

Change Your Meal Times

Like tiredness and sleep schedules, hunger and metabolism are closely linked to circadian rhythms. Research has found that eating meals later can shift circadian rhythms. Similarly, eating breakfast immediately upon waking up and avoiding late dinners have been found to help shift circadian rhythms earlier. If you want to wake up earlier, begin eating earlier. If you're going to stay up later, eat later. And as with all circadian rhythm changes, once you’re on the schedule you desire, try to keep it consistent and eat meals simultaneously each day.

Avoid Electronics Before Bed

Artificial light from screens and electronics can signal to the brain that it's time to wake up, so the brain decreases melatonin production, making it harder for you to fall asleep. Aim to reduce your exposure to screens and other electronics before bed. Make your bedroom a screen-free zone.

Implement Good Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene is a set of habits that promote quality sleep. They include creating an ideal sleep environment by:

Turning off the lights and electronics
Having a comfortable bed
Keeping the temperature cool

Additionally, research has found that relaxation exercises reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality.

Gradually Adjust Your Schedule

As you begin to adjust your schedule, start slow. Instead of changing your sleep and wake times by several hours at once, adjust by an hour or less each day until you reach your desired schedule. Once you’re going to sleep and waking up at the times you’d like, stay consistent every day, even on weekends and days off work. Jet lag shows how drastically changing your daily schedule overnight can bring negative consequences. When people travel across several time zones, their circadian rhythms become mismatched with their environment. As a result, they may experience symptoms including:

Trouble sleeping
Daytime tiredness
Digestive issues
Impaired cognitive ability

Avoid Exercising Too Late

Exercising close to bedtime may disrupt your sleep and throw off your circadian rhythms, especially if you’re a morning person. Exercising regularly promotes healthy sleep. If you’re trying to wake up and go to bed earlier, consider exercising in the morning.

Reduce Artificial Light Exposure

Since humans evolved to live synchronously with the daily sunlight schedule, artificial light exposure during outdoor dark hours can disrupt circadian rhythms. Blue light has been found to impact circadian rhythms most strongly. Since digital devices like TVs, smartphones, computers, and tablets emit blue light, it’s best to practice the healthy sleep habit of avoiding these hours before bed. Dimming other indoor lights in the hours before sleep may also be helpful.

Avoid Naps

While you may love taking an afternoon nap, that hourlong (or more) snooze can harm your circadian rhythm by making it harder to fall asleep at night. If you need to nap, limit it to 30 minutes or less and aim to sleep before 3 p.m.

Consider a Melatonin Supplement

While it may be tempting to take melatonin supplements, experts don't recommend them in most cases. They can be helpful in the short term to prevent and treat jetlag. They are not recommended for long-term use and may cause side effects. They can make you sleepy but do not improve your sleep quality. If you do shift work or work other irregular hours, you may be unable to avoid daytime sleep and nighttime work. Those people should pay particular attention to prioritizing other healthy choices, like getting enough physical activity and not smoking, because those healthy habits may decrease the health risks associated with overnight work, Wright says.

Managing Circadian Rhythms for Night Workers and Travelers

And suppose nighttime workers can keep their mealtimes to daytime hours, or at least more closely aligned with a typical eating schedule. In that case, that’s ideal, explains Kenneth Wright Jr., PhD, a sleep and chronobiology researcher at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Travel can also throw off your sleep schedules and the body’s circadian rhythms. Wright recommends slowly adjusting your sleep schedule by going to bed and getting up earlier before traveling into a new time zone so that it’s not as much of a shock to your system when you go.

Gradually Adjusting Your Sleep Schedule to Reduce Jet Lag

Adjust your sleep schedule by one hour per day (starting enough days ahead so that you will be on the schedule of your arrival destination by your departure date) to reduce jet lag upon arrival. Suppose you’re having particular difficulty sleeping or maintaining a sleep schedule. In that case, Wright recommends contacting a sleep medicine specialist or even a circadian medicine doctor who can help you make needed lifestyle changes and detect underlying conditions that may impact your ability to regulate your circadian rhythms.

How Long Does It Take to Reset Your Circadian Rhythm?

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Adjusting your circadian rhythm takes time. Your circadian rhythm resets every 24 hours. But if you’re trying to change the timing, it may take longer. How long it takes to shift the timing of your circadian rhythm will depend on how much you’re trying to move it. We recommend moving your sleep-wake times by no more than 15 to 30 minutes every few days until you reach your ideal schedule. It may take a few days or weeks for your body to adjust fully. Gradually shifting your circadian rhythm will give you the best chance of sticking to your new schedule without sacrificing sleep or daytime energy.

Resetting Your Sleep Schedule Overnight: What You Need to Know

Are you in a rush and want to reset your sleep schedule overnight? Focus on sleep hygiene habits. These habits will give you the best chance of falling asleep when your body naturally wants to. Try not to adjust your bedtime by more than one hour daily until you reach your ideal sleep schedule. It is important not to shift too quickly, especially for people who experience difficulty falling asleep or who have insomnia and are moving to an earlier bedtime.

When to Seek Help for Circadian Rhythm Challenges

It takes time to reset your circadian rhythm depending on your life circumstances, how much time you need to shift, any medical conditions, and your approach to changing your sleep habits. If your circadian rhythm challenges do not improve after a few weeks, despite following sleep hygiene practices, or if other symptoms are present, follow up with a healthcare provider. A primary care practitioner or sleep specialist can help you identify possible causes and provide treatment options. They may recommend a sleep study to rule out sleep disorders.

Download Our App to Track your Daily Sunlight Exposure Today

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SunSeek helps you optimize your daily sunlight exposure by tracking and providing personalized recommendations based on your location, skin type, and health goals. The app combines real-time UV monitoring with guided outdoor activities to help you improve sleep, boost energy levels, and maintain optimal vitamin D levels throughout the year. By aligning your daily routine with natural light cycles, SunSeek makes harnessing sunlight's health benefits easy while ensuring safe exposure through personalized timing recommendations and cloud coverage forecasts. Download our app now to track your daily sunlight exposure.