The following thoughts on circadian rhythm from a Chinese Medicine perspective come from the The Lantern an Australian

n journal for practitioners of Chinese medicine. I really like the way the author brings ancient writings (which can seem somewhat esoteric in themselves into a 'real life' perspective. I'll be putting them onto this page 2 channels at a time over the next week. They are by Assoc Professor Qu Li-Min Beijing U of Chinese Medicine.

Zi shi : 11pm to 1am. This is the time of the earthy branch zi when the effect of the Gallbladder channel is predominant. It is a strange phenomenon that while we are often tired around eight or nine o'clock in the evening, by 11pm we often get a second wind, enough that for many people this is their preferred time of day to work. Others become hungry and go rummaging for a snack. The reason for this is that the zi time is precisely when Yang Qi begins to recover and regenerate. Thus a very important principle in yangsheng a is to be asleep before 11pm in order to slowly begin to nourish this vital mechanism. Sleep and health are crucially related, as sleep cultivates the Yang Qi. Zi is the darkest time of the 24 hr day. Yin has reached its peak and Yang Qi begins its re-emergence. The Huang Di Nei Jing b says : The 11 zang c all hinge upon Gallbladder. This means that when the Qi in the Gallbladder channel arises, only then does all the Qi and Blood around the body begin its resurgence. Thus getting into the habit of being asleep before 11pm is the most important.
yangsheng : Literally : The preservation of health. Rather than simply the treatment of disease, it is a major characteristic of Chinese medicine, strongly differentiating it from modern biomedicine. Related to this is the enhancement of the quality of life in all its breadth and depth, the cultivation of a practitioners ability to access the essence of this medical tradition for clinical inspiration, and the promotion of an integrated harmony of jing, qi and shen in both doctor and patient. b Huang Di Nei Jing : Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon, is an ancient Chinese medical text that has been treated as the fundamental doctrinal source for Chinese medicine for more than two millennia. c zang : The zng-f organs are functional entities stipulated by Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). They constitute the centre piece of TCM's general concept of how the human body works. The term zng refers to the organs considered to be yin in nature - Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, Kidney, while f refers to the yang organs - Small Intestine, Large Intestine, Gall Bladder, Urinary Bladder, Stomach and Snjia.
a

Chou shi : 1am to 3am. This is the time of the earthly branch chou when the effect of the Liver channel is predominant. It is absolutely imperative that one is asleep during this time to maintain healthy Liver function. The character chou is the image of a bound hand, and symbolizes that although Yang Qi is in its resurgence, it must be restrained and controlled, or in other words, ascent must contain descent, and in this way, by sleeping well at these hours, Liver blood will be nourished.